Hope
by A Touch of the Blues
Summary: After returning to the future and defeating the androids Trunks must help the earth to rebuild. A long held plan of Bulma's may succeed in reviving millions who have died. What will Trunks learn about the nature of family? Does it really all work out in the end? Focused on Trunks early on but will be mainly geared towards Gh/Vi & V/B.
1. The Future is Now

**Disclaimer: If I owned this I wouldn't need to write fanfiction.**

**A/N: I have tried to make this as original as possible. However, Dragon ball fanfics have been around for a long time and I haven't read all of them. So if you see something that has already been done before I apologize; it wasn't intentional. BTW, The song "25 or 6 to 4" by Chicago and the song "Brain Stew" by Green Day have nearly an identical main riff but it isn't considered plagiarism.**

**Please Review if so inclined. I would greatly appreciate it.**

* * *

**Hope**

**Chapter 1: The Future is Now**

"The nightmare is over Cell! Die!" With a mighty blast of light, Dr. Gero's ultimate instrument of terror was obliterated from the future just as his counterpart had been obliterated from the past. Trunks powered down from his ascended state and took in his first breath of fresh air as a free man. All his life Trunks had been faced with one horror or another. First it had been the death of Goku, and although he had only been a baby at the time, Goku's death had profound consequences for the world that Trunks called home. For years he had experienced firsthand the destruction caused by the androids, biomechanical creations of Gero whose 20 year reign of terror in this timeline had only just ended thanks to Trunks himself; their crowning achievement had been the murder of Trunks' beloved mentor and best friend Gohan. Trunks still shook at the thought; he could remember the feel of the rain, the sound of thunder, the sinking, hopeless feeling in the pit of his stomach, and then there was the body…

After Gohan's death Trunks had finally been able to become a Super Saiyan like his father, Gohan, and Gohan's father before him; but for six years Trunk's version of Super Saiyan proved no match for the power of the androids. Then, a year ago, well, actually just a couple of weeks ago the "year" spent in the hyperbolic time chamber notwithstanding, Trunks had journeyed back to the past for the second time to see how his mother's old friends were faring against the androids in their timeline, the ones Trunks himself had warned them about. That's where things went wrong, so wrong. These androids were different; they weren't as powerful and didn't even look the same as the androids he had known. But eventually the _real_ androids showed up and much to Trunk's horror, had wiped the floor with even the most powerful of the Z Fighters, his own father Vegeta.

But for reasons never fully understood, although the androids looked and sounded the same as the horrors from Trunk's time, they weren't bent on death and destruction like they should have been. No, they were almost juvenile in their approach to battle, merely testing themselves out as if to see how good they were, not trying to purposely cause lasting damage. Cell though, was another matter. Before long, an overgrown grasshopper called Cell showed up and revealed that he too came from the future as Dr. Gero's master plan for universal domination. Comprised of the cells of the most powerful warriors in the universe, Cell knew them all by heart; all their attacks, all their weaknesses.

Trunks had watched as his father foolishly allowed Cell to absorb android 18 to attain what he called "perfection", and then stood by in horror as Cell systematically dismantled Vegeta. Trunks himself fought Cell but likewise proved to be too weak to win. Several wild days later, the Z Fighters participated in the "Cell Games" a martial arts style tournament where the earth's bravest warriors would attempt to stop Cell's madness. In the end, they had won. Gohan, the younger version of Trunk's former master apparently possessed an unfathomable power which he used to destroy Cell once and for all…at the cost of both Trunks' and Goku's lives. But within days, Trunks was revived with the dragon balls which still existed in that timeline. After a few more days of rest, Trunks returned to his own timeline to destroy both the tyrannical androids and the future version of Cell of whom Trunks had been tipped off to expect.

And he finally did it! For the first time in Trunk's life there was no need to be afraid, no more enemies to try to fight. But now what could Trunks do? He had turned out more like his father then anyone would have thought. Vegeta had spent most of his life preparing for one battle or another, ultimately dying during one, twice. Trunks too had spent the first 21 years of his life in fear and preparation for the androids; then there was the yearlong preparation for Cell. What did one do with themselves once there were no more battles to prepare for?

The answer was obvious even though it seemed so unnatural: Rebuild. During the Android Terror very few people had tried to rebuild anything. What was the point when the androids might show up and destroy it again anytime? Most of the population had been reduced to living in underground shelters within the first five years so the thought of actually spending most of his time above ground was still a fairly foreign concept to him. Nevertheless, Trunks took off in the direction of the ruins of West City in order to tell his mother the good news. Of all the things Trunks had experienced by traveling to the past, seeing his alternate family had definitely been among the strangest.

The Bulma from this timeline had been a beautiful woman in her youth and still retained vestiges of her former radiance but her eyes had become hardened over the last 20 or so years and her face was far more lined than it would have been naturally; it carried a permanently worried expression. Her hair as well, though still the peculiar blue that seemed to be a trademark of the Briefs family, had long since faded from its former brilliance; the casualties of a life lived in fear and uncertainty, the scars of loss. In this timeline all Trunks ever heard about his father was that he had been very strong, proud and cocky; he wasn't an emotional man.

By contrast, the Bulma from the past had been bright, perky, and exceptionally good looking. Vegeta, though very much like what he had always been told by his mother and Gohan, had also revealed that he was made of much, much more. Vegeta had praised his son's power in front of Cell and had even defended him in battle; it was more than Trunks had ever dared dream, to know that he had his father's approval. Another highlight had been meeting Goku and the other long dead Z Fighters, his maternal grandparents, and going through the very strange experience of having his hair pulled by the infant version of himself!

As he neared what used to be West City the reality of the situation finally began to sink in: The nightmare really _was_ over now! Humanity could be at peace once again and he and his mother could finally live their lives the way they had always wanted. Who knows, maybe he could finally reach out and find a girlfriend… Trunks never had much experience with women except for his own mother and Android 18, if you could call _her_ a woman. Most of the other females Trunks had met were frightened humans who he and Gohan had tried (and sometimes failed) to protect. It just never seemed right for him to get close to anyone when the possibility of his death was such a real and imminent danger. Not to mention the fact that the androids would probably target anyone Trunks got close to for the sole purpose of getting to him. No, Trunks would not put himself or anyone else through that danger. So when it came to relationships Trunks was not the most experienced guy around. There had always been that one example though.

Trunks remembered the first time he had walked in on Gohan and his girlfriend making out in the spare house Bulma had more or less given to Gohan to crash in. Trunks was ten years old and knew next to nothing about girls. What Gohan and that girl had been doing was the farthest thing from his young mind. But she had made Gohan happy, and Trunks was happy that his best friend was happy. Trunk's face darkened. Yes he remembered alright; he also remembered Gohan's agonized screams of rage and sorrow when they learned that she was dead.

"Videl! No, Videl please, no!" Trunks struggled to hold back his tears. It was the first and only time he had ever seen Gohan so distraught. Gohan had always been so tough and confident, a look of pure cool plastered upon his face at all times. To see his master shaken to the core like that had been very painful to watch.

Not to mention the fact that Trunks himself had really liked Videl. Not in the way that Gohan and Videl had liked, no, _loved_ each other, but anyone who was cool with Gohan was cool with Trunks. Finally, Trunks touched down in front of his half demolished home.

"Mother, you can come out now! It's over, it's finally all over! We're free!"

Bulma rushed outside and slammed into her son with a bone crushing embrace. She may not be a Saiyan, but nothing can quite compare to the intensity of a mother's love for her son.

"Trunks, do you know what this means?"

"What does it mean mom?" Bulma's eyes twinkled with pure joy; it looked as if she had been holding in this information for years.

"Years ago I helped your grandfather build earth's first intersolar space ship which I traveled on with Gohan and Krillin to the planet Namek, remember?"

Trunks, who had heard this story before nodded. "Yeah, so what's the deal?" Bulma's eyes welled up.

"The ship was never mass produced; I owned the only model but I had to destroy it when the androids came. If those monsters ever came across that ship and figured out how to operate it they could've taken their terror across the galaxy…I couldn't let that happen. But now…Now thanks to you I can rebuild that original prototype and use it to fly to the new planet Namek! We can use their dragon balls to revive all the people that have died since the androids first showed up as long as it's not a natural death! Trunks, we can bring everybody back! Gohan, your grandparents, even…" She paused, looking slightly breathless and afraid. "Even your father."

Trunks stared dumbfounded. He should have expected this. It was similar to what their friends had done in the past timeline; they traveled to New Namek using Goku's Instant Transmission technique and brought back with them a young Namekian named Dende who used his powers to recreate the earth's vanished dragon balls. Yes, Trunks should have known that this was a possibility. For whatever reason however, he had let this solution slip his mind and now that his mother had mentioned it his face reflected Bulma's look of near ecstasy.

"Mom this is fantastic!" Trunks said. "How soon do you think you can rebuild it?" Bulma looked thoughtful.

"Well, since our supplies are greatly depleted from the chaos of the last 20 years and since it's possible that my family's money may not actually be worth anything at this time, I would say anywhere from 1-5 years." Trunks was momentarily crestfallen. One to five years was a long time to wait for something you wanted so bad you could practically pull your eyes out. But then again it was understandable. It would take a long time for the world to recover economically from two decades of android oppression. Once word spread that the androids were really gone, there would be that brief period of time when near universal harmony existed between everyone. But, left to their own devices, quarrels and dissensions would be bound to rear their ugly heads.

Hotheads and self-styled strongmen would be clamoring for position as leaders of the new society. There would be fights over resources and ownership of land. There would be squabbling over fuel and energy and maybe even outright war. It only stood to reason that a private company, no matter how storied the family name _used to be_, might need to wait a while until these important issues were settled. Then they would be able to make their trip.

Trunks nodded and said "Ok. We'll wait as long as we need. The important thing is, we're safe and we have a plan to make things right again." Suddenly, Trunks was struck by an idea. "Hey mom! What if we told everyone that we had a way to undo all the damage the androids had caused, including bringing people's loved ones back to life? We can't fix any structural damage done to our cities but if we went public with our plan? Do you think people would cooperate with us and make it easier for us to build our ship?"

Bulma looked thoughtfully at her grown up son. It certainly was an idea. But going public was not what the Z Fighters had ever really been about. Still, times had changed and the sooner Gohan and the others were brought back the happier everyone would be. "That's an interesting idea Trunks. But do you really think they'll believe us? Do you think people will believe that if they just allow us enough resources to build a spaceship we can go to an alien planet and make a wish that will bring all the android's victims back to life. If I didn't already know about the dragon balls I'm pretty sure I wouldn't even believe a story like that."

Trunks nodded. "You have a point but remember, androids with super power weren't exactly supposed to be possible either. And enough people saw the battles Gohan and I had with the androids over the years that I'm sure at least _some_ people will recognize me and acknowledge that I possess powers that they don't. That could work in our favor." Bulma contemplated her son's words for a few moments. Finally she said "Ok, how about this? Why don't we just enjoy the next few days as a family and then take our request to the people? You can demonstrate your Super Saiyan powers to jog any one's memories as to who you are and what you can do." Again, Trunks nodded. "Sounds good mom."

It was quite possibly the best day of Trunks' young life. He defeated the androids, defeated Cell, saved the world, and learned of a plan to bring back all of lost friends and family. Trunks looked down at the design emblazoned on his time machine, the machine that had made all of this possible in one way or another: _HOPE!_


	2. A Better Way of Living

**Thanks to anyone who favorited my story or put it on their alerts. Chapter 1 didn't receive any reviews. Reviews are what help writers to imrove their stories and to let them know how they're doing. I would gretaly appreciate any comments even if you say that it sucks. This is going to be a long haul so it will take some time for the plot to really take off but bear with me; we're getting there.**

**Chapter 2: A Better Way of Living**

Three days passed and word of the android's demise had begun to spread throughout the underground survivor's colonies. As is human nature, people added various embellishments and outright lies as to just how it happened, but the point everyone took away from the stories was that the androids really were gone. For three days there hadn't been a single reported android sighting or attack; but some were too cautious to allow such stories to free them from their fear so quickly.

"I don't believe it" said one man after overhearing some youngsters whispering about the supposed demise of the killing machines. "I won't believe they're gone until I see their bodies with my own eyes."

His companion snorted and said "You ain't gonna see no bodies if them androids were blown up like I heard they was."

The first man rolled his eyes. "Blown up? And how exactly do you blow them things up? Every army on earth tried blowin' 'em up before and nothing worked."

"I heard some guy used some of their own secret powers against 'em. They said he was glowing all gold and stuff when it happened."

"Psshh. Yeah right. You really believe some whoppers don't you Ed?"

Nevertheless, enough people were sufficiently satisfied by the three days of peace that they were brave enough to venture out of their hiding places and speculate out in the open. At 10:00 the third morning the relative silence of a world without androids was ended by the sound of a loudspeaker usually used for reporting android sightings in nearby areas. Many people looked around fearfully; they were so used to that loudspeaker announcing impending doom that they never considered that the announcement might be about something else.

"Attention Pepper Town, there will be a special press conference held in West City at 11:30 a.m. at the remains of the former Capsule Corporation compound. For discussion will be the mysterious disappearance of the androids and an interview with the man who claims to have defeated them. Again that's 11:30 in West City at the former Capsule Corporation compound." The line went dead.

After about five seconds the sound of whispers and excited discussion began to fill the ruined city as more and more added their voices to the growing speculation regarding the androids. Meanwhile, thirty miles away, Trunks was pulling on the Saiyan armor his past timeline mother had designed for training in the hyperbolic time chamber. Trunks decided that he would continue to wear this armor; not only because of its protective qualities but because of its connection with the year he spent training with his father. Trunks _was_ the son of the Saiyan Prince after all; it only made sense that he should carry on the tradition of wearing the battle armor of his forefathers, even if there were no other Saiyans to recognize it. If everything went according to plan that would soon change.

As he was pulling on his white boots there was a knock on his bedroom door. Bulma entered the room and gazed lovingly at her son. She still could hardly believe it; her son, the little baby too young to remember a time when all the earth's greatest warriors were actually alive in his own timeline was the savior of their world. It seemed so poetic. Trunks had explained in great detail his weeks spent in the past. He spared no details, explaining in full what it was like being locked in another dimension with no one but Vegeta for company; he explained all about the new levels of power they had reached and about the battles with Cell. He had momentarily hesitated when arriving at the part about his own death but quickly resumed his story with talk of how 11 year old Gohan had ascended to Super Saiyan 2 and became the most powerful being in the known universe.

_"Yes"_ Bulma thought. _"It just seems so right that both Gohan and my Trunks are the heroes in this."_ Their Gohan, the one from this timeline, had spent thirteen years fighting those androids and saved countless lives in the process, including hers and Trunk's. After Gohan was killed, Trunks picked up where his master had left off in the battles with the androids. They had been the only two left who could make a difference. It just seemed right that it was Gohan, albeit a different Gohan, who brought peace to the past and her Trunks who brought peace to their present. It was like the two half-Saiyans were still working together even after all these years.

"Hey mom" said Trunks. "What's up? Are you ready for the press conference?"

Bulma nodded. "You bet babe. I just wanted to get a look at you before we head out. I still can't believe how much you've grown in just these few short weeks. I know you spent a year in that room in the past but still…you look so much like Vegeta now it's unnerving."

Trunks flushed slightly. Knowing what his father had been like as well as he did now, Trunks wasn't sure how he felt about being compared to him. Sure Vegeta was arrogant, prideful, cocky, and way too strict a taskmaster when it came to training…but there were other things about him as well. Say what you will about the Saiyan Prince but he was an extremely powerful warrior and probably one of the most brilliant tacticians the Saiyan race had ever produced. And somewhere, deep down in that heart of his, he cared. He cared enough about his son to consider him an equal and to attack a much more powerful enemy in a fury because that enemy had taken his son from him. He cared enough to stay behind even though he could have flown the coop at any time and resumed his earlier career of Destroyer of Worlds.

Not knowing how to react, Trunks merely smirked making him look all the more like his father. Bulma followed her armor clad son out to the front doors of Capsule Corp. where what remained of the press were huddled together as one mass with cameras, microphones, and questions at the ready.

"Ms. Brief's, you are Ms. Brief's are you not?"

"Tell us, what is the meaning of this press conference?"

"Do you know anything about the androids?"

"Has your company been secretly developing some weapon to use against them?"

Bulma held up her hands and cleared her throat. Silence fell upon the crowd.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I have called this press conference because I have excellent news to share with the world. The nightmare is over. Androids 17 and 18 are dead."

More questions came on quickly but Bulma again called for silence.

"I can confirm that statement through my son Trunks who was present when the androids were destroyed. He, in fact, destroyed them."

"Ms. Briefs, how exactly was it done?"

"How can we all be sure of this?"

Bulma looked annoyed; it had been many years since she'd had to deal with the overbearing weight of the press. She took a breath to compose herself.

"My son is an extremely talented member of the Earth's Special Forces, an elite group of men whose goal it is to protect the earth. About twenty years ago now, when the androids first appeared the majority of the men were killed off. There was one survivor. His name was Son Gohan. You may recognize the name of his late father: Son Goku, winner of the last World's Martial Arts Tournament."

A gasp emanated from the excited journalists. They may have all endured twenty years of hell but Son Goku was not a name most would quickly forget. His matches at the old tournaments were the stuff of legend; many of the reporters at the press conference today had been on hand to cover some of those old tournaments. Nobody had ever seen fights like that before or since; Son Goku was a legend.

Bulma continued. "Unfortunately, Goku died of natural causes before the androids arrived. After the rest of the elite forces were killed, Son Gohan continued their battle on his own for thirteen years. During that time he trained my son Trunks in the ways of the elite. However, six years ago, Gohan too was killed by the androids. Some of you may remember seeing a blonde haired warrior dressed mostly in orange defending our cities against those monsters. If you do, that was Gohan."

A ripple of understanding flowed throughout the mass of reporters; Gohan's escapades were not forgotten. Bulma pressed on.

"Only three days ago, my son returned from weeks of intense training in preparation for this showdown. The showdown commenced three days ago; he won. My son, a super elite, defeated the androids. He is the reason our people are free. I know some of you may find that hard to believe. But let's open our minds a bit people. Biomechanical androids with superhuman powers weren't supposed to be possible either but the last twenty years prove that to be false. If you would like to see firsthand a free demonstration of the power my son used to defeat the androids, then please be prepared; it may get a tad breezy."

Everyone stared in amazement at Bulma's words; could everything she'd said really be true? Was there really a super elite group of fighters who used to protect the earth?

Trunks stepped forward so that the cameras could focus in on him. Pulling deep inside, Trunks let out a fierce yell and half the press corp. flew back several feet. They watched as Trunk's hair changed from lavender to gold, his muscles bulged and lightning crackled around him. Trunks sent an energy bolt into the sky only to disappear himself in the blink of an eye to bat it off into the distance where it collided with an abandoned skyscraper and exploded.

Everyone watching, in person or on the television was stunned; these were the same powers used by the androids! People didn't know whether to be in fear or in awe of the fantastic display they had just witnessed.

Trunks powered down to his regular state. This time, he took front position at the podium.

"Fellow citizens, please do not be afraid. I know this is a lot to take in right now but it was necessary to show you these things because we, my mother and I, have a plan that will make all of our lives a whole heck of a lot easier and enjoyable. You see, years ago Capsule Corporation developed earth's very first intersolar space ship. It was capable of flights both in and outside of our solar system. This ship was only flown on one official mission. My mother and two of the members of the elite forces traveled on that very first mission to a very distant planet called Namek. It is inhabited. There are friendly beings on that planet whom my mother forged a special bond with. These beings have in their possession, objects that could restore to life everyone that was killed by the androids. Our parents, children, husbands, wives, brothers, and sisters can all be returned to life as long as they didn't die of natural causes!

"I know this sounds difficult to believe; I know you're skeptical but please hear me out. We're confident that we can make another trip to the planet Namek and we're confident our friends there will be willing to help us. The problem is…after the androids showed up, my mother destroyed the only intersolar spaceship we had. She was afraid that if the androids ever got hold on that technology they would've taken their terror to other parts of the galaxy. She couldn't allow that to happen so she destroyed it. We can rebuild it. It will take time but it _can be done_.

"We know our resources are limited; we know that there are many who are in need of homes, fuel, food and other necessities. But we have a chance to undo every terrible thing those monsters did to us for the last twenty years! Do you want to see your family and friends again? Do you want the members of the Earth's Special Forces to return to earth so that they can protect us once more? If you do, if you want to take back what is rightfully ours, if you believe that your life is worth improving, if you believe that hiding underground is a pitiful way to live, if you want to experience a _better way of living_, please, I beg you…Allow Capsule Corp. the resources needed to build this spacecraft. Allow my mother the resources she needs to bring our friends and loved ones _back_!

"You won't regret it. I promise. Please help us; let us help each other." Trunks finished his speech and marched off to take his position behind Bulma who then opened up the floor for questions.

* * *

Six months passed since the press conference. It had taken several weeks to convince the masses that they should give their precious resources to a middle aged woman and place all their hopes on a bunch of aliens on a strange planet light years away. Still, they had finally agreed and now, six months later, Bulma was well on her way to completing her project. It was amazing how much had been accomplished in just six months. Bands of people had come together to help set up new houses for the survivors and the infrastructure of some of the major cities, including West City, had been refurbished to the point of almost resembling a real city.

Throughout this time, Trunks had flown from town to town and city to city assisting the survivors with their rebuilding efforts. He especially devoted his time to the building of orphanages for the children who no longer had anyone to look after them. After spending weeks in the past on a planet with over seven billion people, it was heart wrenching to see that only about two million had survived the androids; that was the scale of the destruction. During his time traveling the wastelands of earth, Trunks encountered many people who were grateful for all he had done for them; after all he _had_ saved their lives. Others however, were fearful and didn't know how to react to his power.

Then too, there was the happy reunion with Master Roshi, Oolong, and Puar who had spent the last 20 years in an underwater submarine. Though having never met them in his time, Trunks had gotten to know them from the past so it wasn't a totally awkward experience. As Trunks prepared to depart a city in the Southern Districts, he was stopped by a small woman with stylishly cut blonde hair. She looked to be some years older than Trunks but like his mother, she retained vestiges of great beauty, marred by two decades of terror; Trunks didn't peg her as being anywhere near as old as Bulma though. The woman was wearing an emerald green top that flowed elegantly at her forearms and the neckline seemed to plunge at just the right place. Trunks fought to keep his eyes focused on her face, her eyes…those stunning green eyes…

"Umm, hi" he said. "Well hello there cutie" said the woman in a rather girlish voice. "You're the guy from that press conference a few months ago. You're the one that beat the androids!" Trunks rubbed the back of his head in a gesture inherited from years of association with Son Gohan. "Yeah, uh, that's me. What's…what's your name ma'am?" The woman giggled in a way very reminiscent of a schoolgirl. "Oh please, you don't have to call me 'ma'am', that's so formal; it makes me sound like I'm 50! I'm only 29 you know! Oh, my name's Erasa by the way. And you're Trunks. That's an interesting outfit you have on" she said, gesturing towards the Saiyan armor. "What is it, like, battle armor or something?"

Trunks stared at the woman in front of him. He had never heard someone so talkative before! Figuring he should be polite, he replied "Uh, yeah actually. This is battle armor patterned after the type my father used to wear. He…wasn't from around here." Erasa smiled broadly. How did she manage to have such sparkling teeth? "Your father huh? Was he a member of the 'super elite' you and your mom were talking about?" Trunks nodded. "Yes. He was the elite of the elite. But he was killed many years ago." Erasa clucked her tongue sympathetically.

"I'm so sorry. I lost my family too; and a very dear friend as well." Her face darkened. Trunks didn't like that look. It was too ugly for such a pretty face. But Erasa brightened rather quickly. "But" she said, "according to you, there's a way to bring back all the people the androids killed? Do you really believe that's possible?" Trunks smiled at her and nodded in encouragement.

"Yes. I do. It's been done before, though not on such a large scale. Many years ago my mother and the Earth's Special Forces saved the race of people from the planet Namek from a terrible destruction. Not that we wouldn't do it again in an instant but they kind of owe us a favor, you know?"

Erasa looked dazed. "Umm…not really, but hey, who am I to doubt you? I saw what you can do on camera. That was really neat! How did you change your hair like that?"

"Umm, it's kind of a special technique I learned. But the change in hair is a byproduct of the tremendous power boost you gain from this technique. I wasn't the only one that could do it; there were at least three others including my father."

Erasa just nodded, her eyes getting an almost hungry look in them. Trunks flushed deeply. "Umm, so…I was just leaving actually…I, uh," Erasa looked crushed.

"What? You're leaving? No! Hey why don't you stick around a little while and I'll show you around. It's not every day I get to meet the savior of the world you know. Let me show you a…_good time_."

Trunks fumbled with his words. "Well I uh…I don't know if I can…there's…" But before he could say another word, Erasa took him by the hand and led him off somewhere into the bowels of the city. The half-Saiyan could think of nothing that would deter this woman short of flying off into the sky without her. But he was drawn to her. Her smile, her warmth, her plunging…eyes. Yes, it must be the eyes. _"Gosh, was this what Gohan felt like every time with Videl?"_ he thought. Erasa led Trunks down a couple of streets, and into an apartment building that he supposed was her home.

As Erasa placed her key into the lock, she shot a rather devious look towards the lavender haired warrior who had saved the world through his strength. This was his reward for his bravery and her opportunity to relieve the pent up frustration of decades. This, Trunks guessed, was a better way of living.


	3. Little Boys in Men's Bodies

**A/N: I'll let the readers decide what happened between Trunks and Erasa last chapter as far as the detail are concerned. Just so you know, I'm not really a fan of explicit sex scenes so while this will develop into quite a romance story, please don't count on reading gratuitous scenes describing the intricacies of human sexual relationships. **

**By my count, Mirai Gohan was 10 years old when the androids arrived, making he, Videl, and Erasa about 23 when he was killed 13 years later. Since Mirai Trunks told Goku in the anime episode "Mystery Revealed" that Gohan's death was "four years ago in my time", and a further three years elapsed between that episode and the episode entitled "The Androids Appear", that would make Erasa roughly 29 or 30 years old at the start of this story depending on her D.O.B. Since six months passed from the beginning of my story and Erasa's meeting with Trunks, we'll say that she had a later D.O.B. and is 29 going on 30 and Trunks is biologically 22 (accounting for one year in the time chamber) and chronologically 21. Hope that all makes sense! **

* * *

**Chapter 3: Little Boys in Men's Bodies**

Three months after the shameless display of affection by Erasa, Trunks was in the large storage basement, which was more like a warehouse, beneath the floors of Capsule Corp. The compound had been largely repaired by eager handy men looking for a steady job under the employ of Bulma Briefs who had once been world famous for her genius, beauty, and unprecedented wealth. While the androids had taken away much of her beauty and devalued her wealth, her genius remained untouched and the unprecedented recovery of the human race had contributed to the increasing value of Capsule Corporation's frozen assets.

Trunks found himself often admiring the grandeur of the compound and still sometimes had to reassure himself that this was all real; it wasn't a dream, they really were going to be ok now. Presently, Trunks was admiring the newly completed intersolar spaceship which was a near exact replica of the one Bulma had taken to Old Namek nearly a quarter of a century ago.

"Hey mom! What's the deal? Does it work properly or what? You've been in there checking the controls for almost an hour!"

"Trunks Briefs, you just be patient with me! I have to make sure that every detail is the way it's supposed to be. You wouldn't want the autopilot to give out would you, and you'd have to pilot it by yourself nonstop for days? Or what if it exploded at take off? I'd never forgive myself if I could have done something to prevent that!"

Trunks looked puzzled. "What do you mean 'all by myself?' Aren't you coming with me?"

Bulma laughed. "No silly, I can't go with you this time. I have to stay here and help people reignite our economy. You're the savior of earth; you should be the one who takes the final journey to repair all the damage done by the androids."

"But I have no idea how to navigate outer space! I've never met a Namek in my whole life except for Piccolo and Dende and they weren't even from our time! I don't even know who I'm supposed to be looking for!"

Bulma poked her head out of the entrance.

"Now Trunks", she said. "Do you really think I would send my only son into outer space without teaching him the basics of navigation? Besides, use that ability you have of sensing people; I'm sure you'll be able to find them that way."

"Mom, wasn't the original planet Namek destroyed? How do you plan on having me find a planet when I don't know the first place to look? They never told you where they were going when they left earth?"

Bulma wiped the sweat off her brow. She understood where Trunks was coming from but she had all her bases covered.

"Sweetheart, never underestimate your mother. Before I destroyed the original ship, I pulled all the data it gathered during the initial trip and stay on the original Namek. I've been able to upload all that data into the new ship's computer system. That means that every observation the original ship's computer made about the type of atmosphere and life forms sustained by Old Namek are present in this ship.

"Now all we have to do is use my _new_ computer software to scan the reaches of space for habitable zones capable of sustaining the same life forms found on the original planet Namek. We'll isolate all those habitable zones before you leave and then attempt to make contact with the inhabitants of those planets, if there are any. Since the Namek's were a very specialized type of people with the capability for asexual reproduction, I've calculated that only about five of such habitable zones exist. That should make it possible to achieve contact with our long lost friends within just a couple of days."

Trunks stared in amazement; he never figured out how his mother was so intelligent. Trunks himself was no slouch when it came to academics, but he was nowhere near Bulma's level. Rather than continue that particular conversation, Trunks opted to ask his mother a very different question.

"Mom, I was wondering, um…is it normal for women to have strong sex drives after traumatic situations?"

Bulma dropped her blueprints. What did her son just ask her? Stepping down the entrance ramp so that she was fully visible and could see her son clearly, Bulma asked "Could you please repeat yourself?"

Trunks inhaled deeply. "I was wondering if it's normal for women to have strong sex drives after a traumatic situation. See, there was this girl I met a few months ago…well, she wasn't exactly a _girl_  
but her name was Erasa and she seemed very…affectionate towards me if you know what I mean."

Trunks blushed furiously. This was not the most comfortable subject to talk to _your mother_ about.

"Anyway, she wasn't the only one. Lots of girls have been practically throwing themselves at me since the press conference a few days after the androids were defeated. Is that…is that normal?"

Bulma blushed awkwardly at the thought of her baby boy being fondled by a bunch of sex starved women. It was bound to happen eventually though. Trunks was a good looking young man and most girls tended to fall for the hero types; especially if said heroes were insanely strong and were among the most famous people in the world now.

"Umm, well son…I think it probably has to do with the fact that you're uh, well…let's face it, you're a hot commodity now. Women have needs just like men do and many women probably went many years without any male affection because of the androids. The relief that they're finally gone and the knowledge that a tall, good looking man is responsible for saving their lives probably attracts them to you. It's kind of funny" she said, seeing the mortified look on Trunk's face.

"Oh gosh, you remind me so much of when I had to explain the birds and the bees to Gohan." She laughed at the memory.

"Gohan was twelve years old. He'd been fighting those androids for about three years and during one of the rare breaks in their destruction, Gohan started noticing that some of the girls he saved in the cities were pretty." She remembered exactly how Gohan had tried to explain his feelings.

_"But Bulma, they're pretty…but not in the way flowers are pretty or the sky is pretty…it's different. I don't know why I never noticed it before but I don't seem to notice anything else these days. What's going on with me?"_

Bulma tried in vain to hold back the soft tears that were rolling freely down her cheeks at the memory of sweet and innocent little Gohan's first attempts to understand love.

"Gohan was just as clueless as you are Trunks. Neither one of you really had the classic sit down with your father's about this. I doubt Goku would even recognize what Gohan was feeling and I wouldn't have dared trust Vegeta to explain to you how to treat a woman had he have lived….But eventually, Gohan figured it out in the end. Just like you will. Try not to worry about the opposite sex too much Trunks. Compared to the battles you've been through, interaction with females will be a piece of cake."

Trunks was ever so slightly amused at the thought of his powerful mentor as a young boy, stumbled by his feelings towards pretty girls; until he realized that he himself was now far more powerful than Mirai Gohan had ever been, not to mention that he was much older than Gohan was at the time of his confused feelings and he _still_ had confused feelings about how to interact with women. He blamed it on the androids. Their constant presence never allowed him the opportunity to even think about girls when he was younger.

"Yeah" Trunks said finally. "Yeah, I guess." And that was the last Trunks or Bulma spoke on the subject for a while.

Three hundred miles away and two hours later, Erasa was setting up shop in her old stomping grounds of Orange Star City. She had avoided this area for many years because of the pain it caused her. It was here that fourteen year old Erasa watched her parents and younger sister perish in the flames of a burning building in a fire set by the androids. It was here, eight years later that Erasa attended the burial of her greatest and dearest friend Videl. Both times he had been there; the Golden Man. The Golden Man pulled Erasa and Videl from the burning building, though at the time he had merely been the golden _boy_. Then, years later, the Golden Man was there in the background as Orange Star's most famous daughter was laid to rest.

Erasa had often wondered just who the Golden Man was. He seemed to always appear out of nowhere and he was the only one who could ever put up a decent fight against the androids. She had learned from Trunks months ago that his name had been Son Gohan, one of the 'super elites.' And speaking of Trunks…Erasa's beautiful face became contorted into a look of sadness and anger. He hadn't called once! The nerve of him! To think that Erasa had put herself out there for a guy who didn't even have the decency to tell her that he wasn't interested! He certainly had _seemed_ interested after they had gotten into her old apartment. But blonde jokes aside, Erasa was not stupid; she could tell when someone was avoiding her and it hurt. World's Hero or not, Trunks Briefs was a deadbeat and certainly _not_ boyfriend material.

So, to wash her slate clean of the whole Trunks affair, she packed up her things and headed back to the only other place she had ever felt at home: Orange Star. What Erasa did not know was who she would meet in her new city.

Trunks was working in the Eastern Districts this week and had decided that he'd pay a visit to Orange Star because that's where Videl had been from; it's also where her grave was located. Gohan had not permitted him to come along to Videl's funeral; it was a journey the older Saiyan had wanted to make alone. Trunks considered seeing the gravesite while he was in town but didn't know where to look. As he talked with city leaders and community organizers, Trunks felt a familiarly bright presence nearby.

Scanning the area with his eyes, Trunks spotted Erasa jogging along the sidewalk. He didn't know exactly what he should do. He really had grown to enjoy Erasa's company during the time they had spent together but he had also never bothered calling her afterwards; something that even Trunks knew would not sit well with a woman. Still, even though he felt guilty and extremely helpless Trunks felt irresistibly drawn to the beautiful blonde.

"Excuse me" he said to the city leaders. "I've just spotted someone I must speak to; it's urgent."

With that, he sped off in the direction of the flashy young woman. He landed in front of Erasa within five seconds and nearly sent the girl into cardiac arrest.

"Eeepp! Trunks Briefs how dare you sneak up on me like that!" She clutched her heart for fear it would jump out of her chest. Regaining her composure, her eyes narrowed in disgust.

"And what exactly can I bother you with?" she said with as much malice as she could muster. "I didn't think I was worth your time, great' Savior of the World'."

Trunks scratched his nose in a sort of nervous habit he'd acquired from somewhere.

"Well, I just wanted to say hello. It's been a while since I saw you and uh…"

Wrong thing to say. "It's been a while and you wanted to say hello? Is that _all you have to say to me?_ You stand here like nothing ever happened, like we never had anything go on between us and you _just want to say hello?_ I thought you cared about me; I thought you actually _liked_ me! I pour out my heart and soul to you, I give you my heart and make myself vulnerable to you and you have the nerve to show up _three months later_ and act like nothing ever happened! If you didn't feel anything for me you should have said something in the very beginning. You shouldn't have led me on with your touch and your lips and…you just shouldn't! Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kick you right below your belt right now!"

Trunks was flabbergasted. He should have known better than to leave this poor girl hanging high and dry.

"Erasa, I'm sorry. I…didn't know what to do! All my life I spent fighting the androids, I never had time to learn how to treat women properly. The only two women I've ever had any kind of real relationship with was my mother and Videl, but she was my best friend's girlfriend and I was still young at the time so I didn't get what their thing was all about so…"

"What did you say?" asked Erasa. "Videl…do you mean Orange Star's Videl? The daughter of the hero Hercule?"

"Umm" said Trunks. "The Videl I knew was from Orange Star but I didn't know anything about her father. Like I said, she was Gohan's girlfriend."

Erasa was shocked. "You mean my best friend was in a relationship with Son Gohan? The Golden Man?"

"I guess so, yeah. They were pretty serious."

Erasa nearly fainted. As teens Erasa had tried so hard to get Videl to acknowledge her physical beauty and meet some boys but she never was into it. She always claimed she was going to follow in her father's footsteps and be a great fighter. To think that Videl had landed the smokin' hot Golden Man was a dream come true for Erasa. Nothing could be better than that short of Erasa herself hooking up with him!

After a moment of stunned silence Trunks spoke up.

"So why exactly was Videl's father a hero? Who was he?"

Erasa temporarily forgot she was angry with Trunks and launched into the story residents of Orange Star City had never forgotten.

"It was when the androids first came to Orange Star; four years after they showed up on earth. They were causing panic and destruction but Hercule was known as being the most powerful fighter in the community. He challenged the androids to a match. People around here call him the 'hero with no fear.' Well, of course, he lost; the androids killed him but he provided a distraction that allowed almost everyone in the city to get out safely and into underground bunkers.

"I'm sure Gohan would have helped but he had already been beaten down a few minutes earlier. He didn't have the strength left to fight with Hercule. If he had, maybe Videl's dad wouldn't have died."

Trunks stared into space pensively; he had never known anything about Videl's family, had never asked. Gohan probably knew everything though.

"Erasa" he said finally.

"Yes?"

Trunks chose his words very carefully. "I'm sorry I never called you. I'm sorry I didn't take your feelings into consideration. I've just been so busy with the rebuilding efforts and I still am trying to work out how this whole relationship business is supposed to go. I know that's not an acceptable excuse. I really did have a good time with you that day and I'd like to spend some more time with you if you'll forgive me for being so clueless and insensitive. This might sound crazy but would you like to go out with me on a date? Just the two of us?"

Erasa's eyes widened. She had a choice: Stay mad at the world's hero and throw away any chance she would probably ever have of being with him or realize his sincerity and the fact that his childhood and ability to form relationships was probably more challenged than anyone else on the planet and forgive him. It took all of about five seconds.

"Yes Trunks, I forgive you and I'd love to go on a date with you! Where did you have in mind?"

Trunks grinned in a very Gohan-esque manner and said "Into outer space."


	4. Take Me to the Stars

**A/N: Ok, to everyone who has put Hope on their favorites list, thank you so much. And to those that have reviewed (even though some of your reviews are only going to my email) again, thank you so much. It makes me super happy to see that some are taking the time to read and offer their thoughts, however brief. I hope to make the next few chapters longer than the others and also that the main characters, Gohan and Videl, will be reunited sooner rather than later.**

**It takes a while to get to that point because I think it would be unrealistic to have the trip to Namek and their subsequent use of the dragon balls take place quickly; the human race is emerging from two decades of near extinction so there are some logistical challenges that must be faced first. What do you guys think of Trunks/Erasa as a couple? It was a random idea I had that seems to work in a strange way.**

**This chapter will contain a flashback. So don't be confused if the story seems to divert from a particular scene at a certain point.**

**As always, please read and review!**

* * *

**Chapter 4: Take Me to the Stars**

A whirlwind of hours later, Trunks was flying Erasa back to West City in his arms. At first she was terrified, but as she felt the strength of Trunk's arms and heard his promise of protection she began to feel secure. Soon she was squealing with delight.

"This is so amazing!" she yelled. "I feel like a bird! Have you always been able to do this?"

Trunks smirked. "Gohan taught me when I was about twelve."

They continued their journey in silence, but it was a comfortable silence. Erasa was thrilled to see the landscapes from such a high elevation and Trunks was excited to feel Erasa's arms around his neck and her legs around his torso; she was so soft to the touch.

As time wore on, Trunks began to notice that Erasa's body temperature was decreasing; the whipping wind and high altitude were turning her into a Popsicle. Concentrating his energy, Trunks enwrapped himself and his female companion in a cocoon of heat. At this, Erasa sighed contentedly. Trunks made no announcement of what he'd done, but instinctively, she knew he had done _something_ to keep her warm.

As they neared their destination, the city came in view. Erasa looked at Trunks and asked "Do you think your mom will like me?"

Trunks chuckled lightly. "I'm sure you'll get along great. Especially if you tell her that you knew Videl. She and my mom always got along very well."

"How close was Videl with your family?" asked Erasa.

"Well" Trunks began, "Gohan was like an older brother to me and a second son to my mom; she knew Gohan since he was four. As Gohan grew up, since my father was dead, Gohan also became like a father figure. He helped my mom with a lot of simple things that my mom was struggling with as a single woman. So by the time Gohan met Videl and they became serious, taking her to meet my mom was like taking her to meet his own mother; it was that important. As I can recall, they were together for three years living in a residence my mom had provided for them, so yeah, I'd say we were all pretty close."

Erasa nodded. It still was so strange. Delightful, but strange, to know that her Videl, the very antithesis of femininity, had ended up hopelessly in love with the Golden Man. She remembered all the times as a teenager that Videl swore up and down that she "was going to find out who this gold guy is." "I want to know how he always knows when to show up and how he manages to survive the androids all the time." Erasa smiled sadly, remembering the fate of her dear friend and her lover. _"So Videl"_ she thought wickedly, _"I guess how he performed in battle wasn't his _only_ performance you were interested in. You were even living with him! Wait…Videl, were you married?"_

Before Erasa could voice her question, Trunks zoomed downwards and softly landed on the ground. "We're here" he said.

Untangling herself from his arms, Erasa looked around. She had only ever been to West City once when she was a child and at that time she had been awed by the enormous skyscrapers and the hustle and bustle of the most prominent city in the world. Nothing however, had compared to the sight of the world famous Capsule Corp. headquarters. Scientific and technological inventions of every kind were churned out of there and distributed all over the world. Today, Erasa found herself once again staring at the large domed building, but this time she was filled with nervous excitement and apprehension. After all, it wasn't every day you got to meet one of the most famous women in the world! And she was your insanely powerful boyfriend's mother to boot!

Trunks grabbed the nervous blonde's hand and smiled reassuringly.

"Don't worry. She won't bite your head off. She'll be pleased to meet you."

Erasa smiled at the gorgeous man standing next to her and proceeded to walk with him, hand in hand, right through the front doors.

"Mom! I'm back. I've got someone here with me I want you to meet."

No one answered.

"Hey mom? Is anyone here?" Nothing.

Erasa looked worried. "Do you think she's out of the house?"

Trunks shook his head. "No, I know where she is. She hasn't left that room but to eat and sleep for the last nine months. Come on; let me show you the underground warehouse."

"A warehouse?"

"Yeah, it's where we keep the spaceship."

Erasa's eyes bugged out. "You mean I'm going to actually see the ship?"

Trunks smiled. "Of course. You'll need to get used to it if you're going to come with me to the planet Namek."

Erasa's nerves began to mount. Sure, Trunks had asked her to go to outer space with him but she hadn't actually considered what it might mean to actually travel to another planet and meet aliens. _Aliens_ for crying out loud! But Trunks grabbed her hand again and pulled her along to an elevator that seemed to possess an unfathomable number of buttons. Trunks pushed the button at the very bottom of the panel and Erasa felt her stomach drop. After nearly a full minute, she allowed Trunks to lead her off into an enormous underground cavern.

The place was huge. The floor and walls were made of solid stone and there was the sound of rushing water coming from somewhere; it echoed throughout the area. Across the walls were ultra bright lights that gave the space an almost doctor's office feel even though the room itself resembled and underground parking garage. Erasa looked around in awe until her eyes caught sight of an enormous, round object emblazoned with the words Capsule Corporation: _HOPE!_

"Trunks" she whispered. "Is this…?"

"Yup. That's the ship."

Erasa had never imagined such a thing in her life. It was almost perfectly round with a gleaming sheen like a newly waxed car. It was supported by what looked like large silver legs almost like spider legs. This certainly looked nothing like the rockets from the old space program. Suddenly, a voice was heard from somewhere behind them.

"Well hello there young man; and it looks like you brought a friend. What's her name?"

Trunks blushed slightly but tried to be supportive for Erasa's sake.

"Mom, this is Erasa, the girl I was telling you about. She's…well, uh, she's my girlfriend."

Bulma walked closer to the couple as if examining them under closer scrutiny. Both Trunks and Erasa were somewhat mortified at this close inspection.

Finally, Bulma smiled and stuck out her hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you Erasa. My name is Bulma Briefs, Trunk's mother. I must say that's a very cute top you have on" she said, gesturing towards the blue and green tube top that just barely covered her midriff and left her shoulders exposed.

Erasa nearly sighed in relief. Bulma Briefs had just complemented her on her clothes!

"It's a pleasure to meet you too Mrs. Briefs. Trunks has told me so much about you."

Bulma smiled warmly. "Actually, it's just Ms. Briefs is my maiden name and I was never married."

That was strange to Erasa. It just seemed out of place that such a public persona like Bulma Briefs would have had a child out of wedlock. But Erasa didn't question it.

"So" Bulma continued. "I see Trunks has decided to show you our spaceship. It has all the latest technology and should be able to complete a mission to New Namek in about a week's time. By the way" she said, turning to Trunks. "I've just run the last diagnostic test. It's ready. I've already started scanning the galaxy for habitable zones capable of supporting Namekian life. I've calculated five possible zones and two have already come back negative. We shouldn't have to wait much longer."

Trunks grinned from ear to ear. "This is great! I can't believe we're so close to bringing everybody back to life! This is going to be so awesome. I can't wait to see Gohan again!"

Both Bulma and Erasa smiled warmly at the infectious enthusiasm of the half-Saiyan warrior. Bulma too was eager to see her old friends again but was somewhat better at containing her excitement. Erasa knew next to nothing about any of the old Z Warriors except that they must've been very powerful guys, one of them was Trunk's father, and the other was the Golden Man, Son Gohan, Trunks' best friend. Still, she too was infected by the excitement in Trunk's voice. She could get used to company with the Briefs.

* * *

Dinner at the Briefs that night was an interesting and enjoyable affair. Bulma had hired an entire kitchen staff that prepared the most delicious food that Erasa had ever eaten. She got to know Bulma and Trunks better and heard many stories about the crazy adventures of the Earth's Special Forces.

"Wait a minute, does that mean that Trunks is _half alien?_" She screeched after learning the identity of Trunk's father.

Trunks rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Yes. My father was Saiyan, and my mother is obviously human. There really aren't that many differences between humans and Saiyans except that Saiyans are much more physically powerful. You wouldn't be able to tell the difference between the two just by looking at them."

This was unreal. Erasa was dating a guy whose father was an incredibly strong alien. That means that if they ever had kids…well, that was a long way off but still, any kids they had would be a quarter alien. This was going to take some getting used to.

"Ms. Briefs" Erasa began, but she was cut off.

"Oh please, call me Bulma."

Erasa smiled. "Okay…Bulma…Trunks says that you were very close with Son Gohan and his girlfriend Videl. Well, Videl and I were like, best friends from the time we were six until around nineteen. Then we kind of lost track of each other but apparently, Videl finally found someone she cared about which is completely adorable in my opinion. Can you tell me what she was like during her…her final years?"

Bulma gazed sadly at the young blonde sitting before her. "I could" she said. "Videl was an interesting young woman. She was very strong, quite vivacious if you could get her out of her shell. She carried a lot of pain with her but she always seemed to be at peace when she was with Gohan. It was really quite sweet."

_"Hey Bulma, Trunks it's me, Gohan! Come on out guys I have a surprise for you."_

_Bulma and her son ran out to the front yard as they always did: Worried, alarmed, hoping beyond hope that somehow, Gohan would tell them that their nightmare was over. Instead, what they found was nineteen year old Gohan hand in hand with an attractive young woman no older than himself whose raven black hair and bright blue eyes immediately drew attention to one simple fact: She was absolutely beautiful._

_"Hey guys" Gohan said. "This is Videl. She's a friend of mine from Orange Star City. We met when we were younger but we just recently started reconnecting. Do you think she could stay here with us for a while? She doesn't really have anywhere else to go."_

_Bulma stared openmouthed at her new arrivals. Did Gohan actually bring a girl home with him? Was her naïve surrogate child actually holding hands with a girl? Nine year old Trunks stepped forward and looked up at Videl curiously. He had never met very many people from outside of West City. And he had certainly never met any of Gohan's other friends; he wasn't even sure Gohan _had_ other friends. But apparently he was pretty friendly with this girl._

_"Hey Gohan" Trunks said. "Is this your girlfriend or something?"_

_Gohan's cheeks flushed slightly. "Maybe. What do you think Videl? What are we?"_

_Videl smiled coyly at her much larger friend. It was true they had never officially decided what they were exactly. But Videl had spent enough time with Erasa to know that any time you kissed a boy on the lips and spent your every waking moment wondering where he was and if he was alright that you had moved beyond being simply "just friends."_

_"Hmm" she said. "I don't know. I am a girl and I certainly think we're friends…but how far do you want to take this?"_

_Gohan's response was certainly not what either Videl, Trunks, or Bulma had expected. Smirking slightly, in a look much more reminiscent of Vegeta than Goku, Gohan brushed Videl's long, dark hair out of her eyes and cupped her cheeks in his hands. For the briefest moment Gohan's eyes locked onto Videl's and the two were lost in a jumble of emotions: Curiosity, fear, longing, hope. Then, Gohan gently touched his lips to Videl's and she responded. It wasn't long; just a brief display of affection. But it was enough to make Bulma's face light up like a candle and Trunks scrunch his nose up and say "Gross Gohan!"_

_As they pulled apart, Videl breathed deeply and licked her lips. Gohan turned to his surrogate family and said "I hope that clears up any confusion."_

Bulma forced her mind back to reality and smiled at Erasa.

"That was Videl when I first met her. There were times when it was obvious that she was vulnerable and scared. We all were scared during that time. But for the most part, whenever I saw them together they were happy. Videl must've been happy or she wouldn't have married him."

Erasa dropped her fork. "She…she _married him_? Videl actually got married? Oh my goodness…"

It was so strange to think that she, Erasa, who had been gushing over boys since the age of ten had reached practically the age of 30 and still hadn't settled down. Meanwhile, Videl, the girl who swore she would never be taken in by some silly boy, was already happily married nearly a decade ago.

Over the course of the next few hours, Bulma regaled Erasa with more stories of the Z Fighter's adventures; particularly relating to the planet Namek. Trunks explained all about his journey's and experiences in the past and how events turned out so differently in their timeline.

"Wow. You mean there's actually an alternate universe where none of this ever happened? The androids never destroyed us?"

Trunks smiled grimly. "Well, it's not that nothing ever happened. It's just that it happened differently and things turned out better for them than it did for us. But don't worry. Once we use the Namekian dragon balls we'll make everything right again. Just wait! It'll all be perfect."

Bulma sighed. "I certainly hope so."

* * *

Three days later Capsule Corp. received a transmission from a far away corner of the Milky Way. Bulma was convinced that it came from New Namek but couldn't prove it for sure. The message was merely a computer signal that someone on that planet had acknowledged that someone from earth was attempting contact. But it was enough confirmation for Trunks to prepare for the weeklong mission to outer space. Even if the signal turned out to be from a hostile enemy, what harm could it really do? After all, Trunks was an Ascended Saiyan; after Cell in the other timeline, very few things frightened Trunks.

"Are you sure you want to go with him Erasa?" Bulma asked a mere hour before Trunks was scheduled to leave. The takeoff was being broadcast around the world as one of the most important events in all history: The mission to bring back countless billions from the dead.

Erasa nodded her affirmative. "Absolutely, I wouldn't miss this for the world. Besides, Trunks will be there to rescue me if we get into any trouble. I'm involved now and I want to experience the same sorts of adventures that everyone else did back then. Think of us as the new generation of the Earth's Special Forces! Well, I can't really fight…but Trunks can! And I'm with Trunks so that means I'm included too!"

Bulma couldn't help but laugh. This girl was too much; in a good way. She reminded her of herself when she was younger. Bulma was no fighter either but she was included in their little gang because of her close friendships with the actual warriors.

"All right then, but I'm warning you. Your first trip to space is not something you want to be unprepared for. Make sure you follow every command that computer tells you once you're in the ship."

Erasa winked at the mother of her man. "Don't worry mama, everything will be just fine."

Bulma shook her head humorously. Then, she remembered something.

"Oh, sweetheart I almost forgot. I designed something for you, to make the trip a little more comfortable. I know it's not something you'd normally wear but I think Trunks will find it amusing."

Bulma pulled out a capsule and decapsulized it in the middle of the room. A large trunk appeared which Bulma proceeded to open. After smirking slightly, Bulma pulled out an outfit of Saiyan armor. It wasn't like the one Trunks brought back from the past which was white except for the golden shoulder straps and midsection. Rather, this outfit was specifically designed by Bulma who had taken the protection and durability of the original model and crafted it to suit Erasa's fashion sensibilities.

"Wh-what is it?" Erasa asked.

"This is my version of the traditional Saiyan armor. Its body is black with golden shoulder straps but the suit that you wear beneath it is actually hot pink. Also, it's not a full body suit, but the pink undergarment stops about halfway down your thighs. If you want to be a part of the gang, you might as well dress the part."

Erasa's eyes welled up. She had never thought in a million years that she would be involved with such strange people! Her boyfriend was only partially human and had unbelievable super powers and a body to die for; her boyfriend's mother was one of the most recognized, and wealthiest people on earth; her boyfriend's surrogate brother/best friend/father figure was also part alien and insanely powerful and had married her childhood best friend; she was going to meet aliens on another planet to make a wish that would bring billions of dead people back to life and now, she had her very own outfit that identified her as officially part of the gang. Wild!

"Thank you so much mama! I love the colors!"

"Well, you're welcome dear. You just be careful up there. We wouldn't want anything to go wrong before I get to have grandchildren now would we?"

At just that moment, Trunks walked into the room. "What about grandchildren? Mom, the press is outside. They're starting to get on my nerves and truth be told, I really want to go now. I've waited for this trip for the longest time."

Bulma nodded. "Alright then. Sweetheart" she said, turning to Erasa. "You go change and meet us out in the front entrance."

"Gotcha!"

Trunks looked suspiciously at Erasa's disappearing form. "Mom, was that _Saiyan armor_ she had?"

Bulma threw her son a sly look. "Don't worry. I'm sure she'll get out of that outfit as soon as you ask her too."

"Mom!"

The two made their way out to meet the press and speak quickly before departure. After about ten minutes, Erasa caught up with them and took her position on the right side of Trunks who was clad in his Saiyan armor.

Trunks glanced at his girlfriend and asked quietly "So. Are you ready for the adventure of a lifetime?"

Erasa nudged him with her shoulder. "You bet babe. Take me to the stars!"

* * *

**Well, they're finally going to space. That means Gohan and Videl will be reunited very soon. If you have any criticisms or questions I would love to hear them. Please Review.**

**Jimthebear2: I know I keep jumping ahead in time and that it can be annoying; I'm just trying to get through the preparation for the Namek trip as quickly as possible. Thanks for pointing that out though.**


	5. The Secret Heart of the Prince

**A/N: This chapter is a bit of a departure from the style I've written the last four chapters in. But it's a necessary departure. Also, there is a battle scene in this chapter though battle is not the point of this fic.**

**Disclaimer: All rights to the song "I Could Have Lied" go to the Red Hot Chili Peppers; I had nothing to do with its composition. For those who know the song, I purposely left out two of the choruses. And sorry about the bleeped out word but I don't use profanity in my stories. Less is more.**

* * *

**Chapter 5: The Secret Heart of the Prince**

There must be something in the way I feel

That she don't want me to feel

The stare she bares cut me

But I don't care, you see so what if I bleed

I could never change just what I feel

My face could never show what is not real

A mountain never seems to have a need to speak

A look that shares so many seek

The sweetest feeling I got from you

The things I said to you were true

I could never change just what I feel

My face could never show what is not real

But now she's gone yes she's gone away

A soulful song that would not stay

You see she hides 'cause she is scared

But I don't care, I won't be spared

I could have lied I'm such a fool

My eyes could never, never, never keep their cool

Showed her and I told her how

She struck me but I'm f****d up now

* * *

Bulma gazed at the picture frames that line the mantle in the large sitting room of the Capsule Corp. compound. A mixture of emotions welled up inside the 56 year old heiress. On the one hand she was thrilled that less than twelve hours ago her son and his girlfriend had finally begun the journey to New Namek which would hopefully result in the revival of all their friends and family, indeed, everyone who had been killed by the androids. On the other hand however, Bulma was apprehensive and a bit afraid of what that reunion would mean.

Her relationship with Yamcha hadn't ended on the friendliest of terms; she had thrown out the cheating jerk and found solace in the arms of Vegeta, the man responsible for Yamcha's previous death. Bulma had acquired a son from that temporary union, a son she loved more than life itself. For all of the malice she'd felt towards Yamcha when she first went to Vegeta she had almost nothing to show for it. She couldn't boast about her successful marriage to the Saiyan Prince because it didn't exist; it never existed. Even if Vegeta hadn't died 20 years ago it was doubtful he ever would have truly been a family man.

What would they do when they were revived? Would Yamcha continue to harbor ill will towards them? How would he treat Trunks, knowing that he was the son that, in his eyes, Vegeta had cheated him out of? Would Vegeta even stick around? Would he acknowledge his own son? The fact that these questions plagued Bulma's heart told her that she really had been very foolish in entering the shadow of a relationship she'd had with Vegeta.

But then there was the news Trunks had brought back from the past. The Vegeta from that timeline was still the same man she'd known. He still came from the same cold, murderous background as her Vegeta, still fathered Bulma's child. And yet, that Vegeta had been different. Due to circumstances none had foreseen, the Cell Games and a year spent in the hyperbolic time chamber, the past Vegeta had actually grown to respect his son and even form something of a bond with him. That Vegeta had even consented to continue living at Capsule Corp. with Bulma and be a part of their son's life. Could Bulma dare to hope for the same outcome once her Vegeta was revived?

And once back, would the other Z Fighters accept Vegeta? It was no secret that Yamcha had hated him. Neither Tien nor Piccolo had been fond of the Saiyan Prince either. Goku, Gohan, and Krillin had been the main ones that had tolerated him. Of those three Goku would not be returning because he had died of natural causes, Gohan would have only a child's perception of Vegeta due to his age at the time of Vegeta's death, and Krillin would probably just avoid the situation all together. The only ally she could definitely count on, then, was her own son. But Trunks shouldn't have to be put in the middle of his father and his enemies; it wasn't fair to him.

She had recently moved these pictures out of storage and arranged them neatly in various parts of the house. There were photos of previous World Tournaments, photos of the original gang as youngsters long before Vegeta had come into the picture. Then there was the last picture taken of the whole gang before the androids; two weeks before Goku's sudden death.

Bulma smiled as she took it in. There was Goku in the center, his broad grin infecting everyone except for Piccolo, who towered over the rest in the back, and Vegeta who Bulma still couldn't believe had let himself be photographed, lurking on the periphery with a scowl on his face. Moving on, there was the one of Gohan with his new bride Videl at the small ceremony near Goku's gravesite in the mountains. The last picture, the most recent one, was of Trunks just before he'd gone to the past for the first time. Bulma fought to hold back her tears, but it was a losing battle.

For the first time in who knows how many years, Bulma Briefs broke down like a small child. Seeing her son in that photo and knowing the type of man he'd grown up to be, and how much he looked like his dead father, on top of all her confused thoughts about the impending return of Vegeta had triggered memories she had tried to exterminate for over 20 years.

_Piccolo was already dead and there were reports from the island districts that more cities were being destroyed by the hour. Bulma was running around trying to answer calls from the government requesting military and technological assistance with the threat. In her arms one year old Trunks was wailing, set off by the commotion that surrounded him._

_Out of the corner of her eye she spotted Vegeta who was dressed in his customary armor and was pulling on his white gloves. _

_"Are you going somewhere?" she asked him_

_"Whatever those things are, they killed the Namek. He may not have been as strong as a Saiyan but he wasn't a complete weakling either. And he was intelligent on top of that. Whatever killed him must mean serious business. And I am not going to stand for it. I've been waiting for a challenge ever since I came back to this wretched planet; I am not going to miss this opportunity."_

_Bulma's eyes widened in shock. "You mean you're going to fight? Vegeta! They say there are two of them; what if they gang up on you?"_

_"Hnh. I am the Prince of all Saiyans, woman. I am intimidated by nothing and no one. You forget, I am a Super Saiyan now, like Kakkarot. I am invincible."_

_Suddenly, there was an explosion nearby. "They're attacking the city!" Bulma cried. Trunks wailed harder and harder._

_Vegeta's scowl turned severe. Who did they think they were attacking _his _city? Vegeta rushed outside only to find two teenagers standing in the front yard. _

_"Get lost brats. I haven't got time to listen to your whining and in case you hadn't noticed, this city is under attack; you would be wise to seek shelter."_

_The teens smirked blankly. "Urgh, hey! Did you hear me brats? I said get off my property!"_

_The closest one, the male with long, dark hair responded. "We were looking for Vegeta. You are Vegeta, are you not?"_

_Vegeta raised his eyebrows skeptically. "Who are you? How do you know who I am?"_

_The teen smirked deeper. "We know everything about you Vegeta. Your name, your history, your strengths…and your weaknesses. We were designed that way."_

_Now it was Vegeta's turn to smirk. "Oh really? You say you know me? Well then, what do you say we skip the introductions? You're the ones that have been causing all this destruction; tell me why."_

_"We're simply doing what we have been programmed to do."_

_"Programmed? What are you, robots or something?"_

_"Our maker preferred to call us androids; I'm number 17 and this is my twin sister number 18." The blonde female inclined her head condescendingly._

_"Hnh. Seventeen and Eighteen huh? How original. I don't care who you are or what you have been programmed to do. You are interrupting my routine, making the woman and the small brat more unbearable than usual. I do not appreciate that."_

_The two android's eyes flashed devilishly. "We're very sorry to interrupt you. But small talk is over. It's time for you to die."_

_Vegeta was struck before he knew it. Android 17 sent him reeling with a few well placed blows to the face and stomach, topped off with an axe-like double fist to the skull. Vegeta landed with a thud on the grass. Now he was pissed. The Saiyan Prince would not be humiliated by some tin can! Vegeta launched into a counter attack, but every blow was parried effortlessly by the android._

_After five minutes of this, 18 yelled out "Hey, 17! This is boring. Just kill him so we can be done here."_

_"Where's your sense of fun sister? I always play with my food before I eat it."_

_Vegeta snarled harshly. "If you think you're going to beat me you have another thing coming. You say you know me? Well then, you must known that I'm not even using half of my full power right now. I will pulverize you!"_

_Seventeen smirked deeply. "See sis? You were going to make me end the game before the real fun even started!"_

_Vegeta gave an almighty scream and the energy in the air surged dramatically. Vegeta's eyes flashed brilliant teal and his hair a shimmering gold. Super Saiyan Vegeta had arrived._

_"Hey look at that 18, he turned blonde; I think he's trying to copy you."_

_"Ugh. It doesn't suit him."_

_"Be quiet! Now androids, prepare to learn what a true Saiyan really is!"_

_They were off. Vegeta and 17 engaged in furious hand to hand action with neither one giving an inch._

_"Well Vegeta I'm impressed. You're far better than you acted before. But I know how this is going to go. Eventually you're going to tire yourself out and I'm going to remain as fresh as ever; I'm never going to run out of energy!"_

_"What?"_

_Vegeta was met with a knee to the face. They resumed their combat but as 17 had predicted, the intensity of Vegeta's strikes were taking a lot out of him and his frustration that none were hitting their mark was throwing him off his mental game. Finally, 17 took advantage and sent Vegeta crashing into the ground with an energy blast._

_"No!"_

_Throwing caution to the wind, Bulma ran outside screaming for Vegeta to get up._

_"Well, well who's this?" asked 18. _

_"This must be the 'woman' he was talking about. And such a beautiful woman too." _

_Bulma knelt down beside her battered lover before looking up at his assailants. _

_"Please. Don't hurt him anymore. He was just trying to defend us, that's all. We're no threat to you, honestly."_

_Seventeen knelt down as well and licked his lips. "I'm not used to seeing such a pretty face. Sure. I'll leave him alone; you however, can come with me…"_

_At that, Vegeta furiously rammed his head into 17's skull, knocking the android back several feet. Turning to the blue haired woman, Vegeta growled "Bulma. Get out of here. Take the boy and your parents and go."_

_"Very wise Vegeta, suggesting retreat. But pointless. She can't escape from me!"_

_"Get away from my family!" snarled the prince dangerously._

_Both androids unleashed a barrage of energy attacks which Vegeta tried valiantly to dodge. Eventually though, they caught up with him. Vegeta's screams were agonizing, torturous to Bulma's ears. She could hear their son screaming at the sight of his father being tortured. Then, the lights abruptly stopped. The androids were gone, Krillin and Gohan having taken their place._

_"Bulma, get out of here!" yelled Krillin. _

_She felt a strong arm scoop her off her feet but she cried "My son! Not without my son!" The strong arms of Yamcha released her and he ran off to grab Trunks. Seconds later he was back, handing the small boy to its mother. This time, he didn't let go as he scooped Bulma up and bolted off into the air. They heard Tien cry "Solar Flare!" which they knew would temporarily blind the androids. That was the last time she ever saw Vegeta alive._

Bulma let the tears flow as she relived the long repressed memory. She had never told her son exactly how his father had died. She didn't think the details were worth repeating. Still, in this dark place in Bulma's mind, she mused that in Vegeta's last words to her he had not only used her actual name rather than his usual 'woman' and had referred to Trunks as 'the boy' rather than 'the brat'…he had actually called them _his family_. He had wanted them to be safe. There, faced with death, the Saiyan Prince had revealed his true feelings for his child and its mother: He wanted them to live.

Bulma wiped the tears away and breathed deeply. Vegeta had used his last moments of life to fight a battle in defense of the city he lived in. He stopped Android 17 from doing who knows what awful things to her, and he wanted them to be safe. There, beneath all the gruffness and bravado, beneath the sneer and indifference was the true Vegeta. The one who had swept her cares away during a wild tryst of passion and, dare she say, romance. This, she thought, was the secret heart of her Prince.

* * *

**I thought we needed a break from Trunks/Erasa. They're not gone forever but I wanted to take a look into Bulma's feelings. **

**Some have pointed out that I made a mistake regarding Trunk's status as SS. I always thought Trunks turned SS2 in the time chamber. I may be wrong but I seem to recall that Vegeta merely became an Ascended Saiyan and Trunks surpassed him. I assumed that Trunks surpassing an Ascended Saiyan meant that he was SS2. However, it's been quite a while since I watched the show so I may be off somewhat. **

** I was always confused by the whole Ascended Saiyan thing; if you're better than a Super Saiyan but not quite a SS2 what are you? Super Saiyan 1.5? So for the time being, just ignore that issue; I may fix it later.**

**Panxo: As to whether there will be fighting in this fic…there will perhaps be flashbacks of battles but the main theme of this story is Family/Romance, not fighting. There will be other fics for that and I just can't bear to put the Mirai timeline through more trouble.**

**As always, Read and Review!**


	6. What Can a Dragon Do?

**Chapter 6: What Can a Dragon Do?**

The first five days of their journey went quite smoothly. Erasa was absolutely awed by the beauty in space: The moons, stars, and brilliantly colored planets they passed as well as the infinite blackness that stretched beyond the realm of human (or Saiyan) understanding. Trunks too was fascinated by what he saw in space but had a better time containing himself; probably because of all the amazing things he'd seen and done already. The couple passed their time by telling one another of their pasts, which was mostly one-sided since Trunks had already explained much of his past back on earth. They played games, dined together, bathed every day (not together), and occasionally enjoyed some "special time" together.

Only one day remained before their arrival on what they hoped was New Namek. Erasa could see that Trunk's anticipation was building. Still, there was something she didn't quite understand about their whole adventure.

"Trunks" she said, "What exactly are we doing? I mean, I know we're trying to meet up with the Nameks and make a wish with their dragon balls but I don't understand what these dragon balls are supposed to be. What do they do?"

Trunks was momentarily speechless. Knowledge of the dragon balls was elementary! Even he, who had grown up in a world where they no longer existed, knew of the dragon balls from his earliest memories.

"Well," he began, "The dragon balls are just what they sound like: They're balls. There are seven of them in all and when they are all brought together in one place, the user can summon the Eternal Dragon who will grant the user's wishes. There are only two sets of dragon balls known to exist. The ones on Namek were the originals, the prototypes for the ones later created on Earth.

"But the dragons aren't the same on both planets. The one from Namek was named Porunga and the one from Earth was named Shenron. The Namekian balls were also more powerful than Earth's; at least, their dragon had fewer limitations than ours. But when our friend Piccolo was killed by the androids 20 years ago, Earth's dragon balls disappeared."

"What?" said Erasa, shocked that such a thing could happen. "Why?"

"It's kind of hard to explain. Basically, the dragon balls were connected to Piccolo and when he died, they died with him."

Erasa nodded, trying to keep it all in. It was very difficult, keeping all of this new information secured in her mind where she could access it again.

Trunks continued. "I believe mom told me that Porunga can grant three wishes. When we bring Piccolo back to life, the dragon balls on earth should return. Then, all of us will have to train extra hard to make sure we're strong enough to face any new threat that comes along. That way, if anyone does die again, we can wish them back…under certain circumstances."

Erasa blinked. There were _circumstances_ that needed to be met to use these things?

"What do you mean by 'circumstances?'"

"Earth's dragon can only revive people who have never died. So if you've already died and been revived once, Earth's dragon balls can't do anything for you. Also, you can't use them to bring back anyone who died a natural death; that's why we can't bring Son Goku back. The balls on Namek don't have one of those limitations; they can bring anyone back to life more than one time."

Erasa was till puzzled. "So then, if all of the Z Warriors have already died, how would you be able to use Earth's dragon balls to revive them again? Won't they be dead permanently?"

Trunks smiled grimly. "Yes, you're right. But there's always the future generation. And something I've learned from the past is that human/Saiyan hybrids have a lot more raw power in them than pure blooded Saiyans. That's why me and Gohan, the past Gohan, became so much more powerful than our pure blood fathers; we inherit the Saiyan power and the human emotions, the desire to protect the ones we love. It makes us stronger.

What if Gohan has a child, or me? What will they be capable of? And the others? Krillin, Yamcha, and Tien were probably the most powerful humans who ever lived; their kids would likely inherit their abilities. I'm sure there will be plenty of future warriors who will need to make use of the dragon balls."

For the first time, Erasa was somewhat chilled at the thought of what her relationship with Trunks might mean. They were still exploring one another now but if it progressed, if it became serious…joining the family business might involve some very steep consequences. Death was a very real possibility. How many of Trunk's friends had already died because of their involvement in the Earth's Special Forces? From what Erasa had learned from Bulma, every one of them had died at least once, most of them twice! Even Trunks had died when he went to the past!

Erasa went quiet for a while as she tried to sort all of this out. Trunks put a large hand on her shoulder.

"Hey. What's wrong? You're very quiet all of a sudden."

She sighed and leaned her head against Trunk's shoulder. "It just seems so senseless, all this death. You talk about death as if it isn't permanent; like you can just undo it like you untie a knot. But millions of people died on Earth from the androids and people knew nothing about the dragon balls. That means they were walking about in despair, not knowing that their friend or their family member was just a wish away! Sure they may know something now and maybe the dragon balls were gone by then but I haven't heard anyone say anything specific about how we're going to bring all those people back. All you told the world was that it was possible to bring them back by visiting aliens; you never said exactly what would be done and how." She paused, searching for the words to convey her thoughts

"And people never knew anything about these things before the androids. How come you did? Why did your friends know when so many others didn't? And why didn't they tell anyone? Don't you think others have the right to have their wishes granted?"

Trunks was silent. Up to this point he hadn't thought that Erasa was much of a thinker. Today he learned just how mistaken he had been. There was much more going on up there than what meets the eye.

"I guess I never really thought about it that way. But I don't think they were ever trying to cheat people or anything. Could you imagine what the world would be like if everyone knew that the dragon balls existed? It would be chaos with everyone trying to get their hands on them, people wishing for the pettiest things. Do you really think that every wish deserves to be granted?"

"No. No, I guess not."

"Our friends were like the protectors of the dragon balls. They only used them when the situation called for it, not whenever they wanted."

"But how did they find out about the dragon balls anyway? Someone must've told them."

That was an interesting question. How _did_ people learn about the dragon balls in the first place?

"Well…I don't really know for sure. My mom never explained how she heard about them; all I know is that by the time she was 16 she knew. Goku was raised with the dragon balls until the age of five but he didn't know what they were. Krillin, Yamcha, Tien and Chaozu learned about them I guess through association with Goku and Mom. I remember hearing some crazy story about Piccolo's father actually murdering Earth's dragon once…"

"What?"

"I know; crazy right? By the time my father came along the dragon balls were common knowledge around my mother's friends."

After a long while, Erasa yawned and said "Well babe, I'm going to bed. We have a big day tomorrow if this is the planet we're looking for. We should get plenty of rest."

"Yeah I guess you're right. I still can't believe that all our friends might be back tomorrow! It's…just so good to know."

Erasa smiled sweetly and kissed her boyfriend on the forehead. The younger man was positively giddy when talking about reviving his friends. It was strange though. Trunks had never gotten to know any of them except for Gohan in this timeline. All of the personal relationships he'd cultivated with them had been in the past, in an alternate universe. According to Trunks, what happened in the other timeline had no effect on this one. When his friends were brought back almost none of them would even know who he was.

As she tucked herself into bed, Erasa struggled with the idea of herself in Trunk's position; that the people she considered to be her closes friends, the ones she literally traveled across the universe to help, would have no idea who she was or what she went through when they came back. Sure they might know eventually, but it was a very strange idea.

Erasa closed her eyes and thought of Videl. Her dearest friend from childhood had lost her life tragically and was taken from the man who loved her. The only man who's life had been more devastated by the androids then Trunk's. Bulma had told of how Gohan's mother had gone insane from the loss of her husband so close to the arrival of the androids. Her grief over Goku's death and her worry over Gohan's safety had driven her to madness to the point where she couldn't recognize even her own son.

Whereas Trunks had never known the Z warriors personally, Gohan had. He had developed personal bonds with them, only to have them shattered by murder and grief. He had spent his life defending helpless people from their attackers, had finally found love, and then was forced to endure the agony of having that love end because of the senseless games of a couple of machines. As the coup de grace, Gohan himself was the victim of a violent murder. Erasa shuddered. It was horrible, the whole thought. More than anything else right now, Erasa wanted to throw her arms around her best friend and her husband, to let them know that everything ended up all right.

Trunks was able to find a measure of peace. He had seen peace come to two worlds, had even contributed to it. Neither Gohan nor Videl had known such peace. And regardless of whether they were revived tomorrow and lived the rest of their lives happily ever after, they would still know the pain of losing the one they loved to the most to senseless violence; something Trunks had never experienced. Yes, he had lost his father but he was just a baby then; he couldn't understand what it meant and didn't even remember it now. And yes, he had lost Gohan when he was older; but as much as Trunks loved him, his mother had always been the one he loved most.

Maybe one day Erasa would take that position. But she sure hoped she would never have to go through that. She hoped beyond hope that what befell Videl and her Golden Man would never ever happen to her.

* * *

Trunks rarely dreamed. During his teens most of his dreams, if he had any, had consisted of nightmares; horrible images of his mother's neck being crushed or of Gohan lying in a pool of blood. Once, he had even dreamed that Gohan lost all of his powers and was forced to watch as Android 18 beat Videl mercilessly. Ever since his return to his own time, those nightmares had mostly subsided. Tonight though, on the eve of what could potentially be the most wonderful day of his life, his old terrors returned to him.

_They had summoned the dragon. But instead of Porunga, it was Perfect Cell who arose from the dragon balls. They attempted to make a wish but instead, the dragon balls morphed into Androids 17 and 18. Erasa screamed and tried to hide behind Trunks but she was grabbed by 17 who inhaled her scent deeply._

_"I like the smell of this one. These Saiyans sure do have good taste in women."_

_"Trunks, help me!"_

_"Erasa!"_

_The scene changed. The androids exploded and were replaced by the battle ground of the Cell Games. There was Goku, saying his last goodbye to Gohan before teleporting himself and the inflated Cell away. There were Gohan's cries of agony._

_"Dad! Dad, no! Why…why was I so stupid?"_

_But Gohan was older now. He had changed into the Gohan Trunks had known from their future. He was sobbing, his voice coated in sorrow and rage._

_"Father! Why did this have to happen? I couldn't save her…I wasn't strong enough! My wife…Father, why'd you have to die so soon?"_

_Gohan's cries were replaced with Cell's maniacal laughter and soon, Trunks was speared through the heart by an energy blast. Cell's voice echoed painfully in his ears._

_"Did you think you would be rid of me? Foolish boy. I am Dr. Gero's ultimate creation; I will never die! Your plan has failed. There is no hope for any of your friends. You were not strong enough to save Gohan from the androids and you are not strong enough to bring any of them back either! Your failure will follow you for the rest of your life and so will I!"_

Trunks awoke with a start to find the brilliant pair of green eyes looking down on him.

"Erasa?"

"Yeah babe, it's me" she said, a look of mild concern creasing her features.

"You were having a bad dream…are you ok?"

Trunks blinked a few times and rubbed his hand through his hair. It had been a dream. He sat up in his bed and suddenly registered something: The ship no longer felt like it was moving. Trunks looked around wildly.

"We're stopped" he muttered.

"I know that silly. We're here."

Trunks got up to gaze out one of the portals that lined his room. "I don't believe it…we're here. We're here! Erasa!"

He swept the bubbly blonde into his arms and planted a kiss on her lips. "We made it! This is it; today, our lives are going to change forever."

Erasa smiled and gazed dreamily at the green planet that stood majestically before them. "Yeah, we're here all right. You should wash up and get changed; we want to make a good impression on our Namekian friends."

Trunks noticed that Erasa was already dressed in her skin tight pink jumpsuit and stylishly designed black and gold armor. He imagined what his father would say if he knew that a common earth woman had taken up the traditional Saiyan dress as if it was nothing more than a fashion statement. He grinned at the thought.

Within minutes, Trunks was washed and pulling on his white, gold tipped boots. There was absolutely nothing that would stand in his way today.

Erasa was working the control panels just as Bulma had directed her and the cool female voice of the ship's computer could be heard above them.

"You have arrived at your destination. This is the likely location of the planet Namek. Please fasten your restraining belts and remain seated. Descent will be uneven."

Erasa held out her hand for Trunks to grab. He took it in his as the ship began to move slowly downwards. After about five minutes, they entered the planet's atmosphere. The turbulence increased until Erasa felt that she might vomit the contents of her stomach. Just when it seemed to be at its worst, the turbulence evened out and the ship continued a smooth descent.

About 500 miles and ten minutes later, The _Hope_'s mechanical legs dug into the ground and the ship came to a halt. The ship's computer announced: "You have successfully completed descent. Please disembark in an orderly fashion."

Trunks unfastened his seatbelt and took a deep breath. "Well? Are you ready to get off?"

"With pleasure" was Erasa's response.

Together, the two earthlings made their way down the ramp that slid down from the ship's body. As they came to rest at the bottom, Trunks returned the ship to its capsule and took a good look around. Green sky, blue grass; it was just as his mother had described. The planet Namek had been found.

Suddenly, Trunks felt the approach of several beings whose energy levels were much higher than any human currently living on earth. He looked around and saw that several large, green men armed with staffs had approached them and they didn't look very happy.

Taking a cautious step forward, Trunks held out his arms in a gesture of friendliness. "We are travelers from the planet Earth; we request to speak to Elder Moori if he is still alive."

The Namek in the center scowled at the newcomers and said very bluntly: "Give us one good reason why we should believe you."

Taken aback by the somewhat hostile reaction to their arrival, Trunks was momentarily lost for words. Enter Erasa who never ceased to surprise the half-Saiyan.

"Like my comrade said, we are on a special mission from the planet Earth; we represent the Earth's Special Forces, defenders of our planet. Over twenty years ago some of our friends were instrumental in saving _your_ planet and _your_ people from certain destruction by someone named Frieza. Well, they may not have saved your planet, but still! Do the names Goku or Bulma ring any bells?"

Just where this sudden boldness came from Trunks did not know. It's possible Erasa herself didn't know, but she sure was taking her role as "part of the gang" seriously. At the sound of the name "Goku", the Namekians gasped and gazed at each other seriously. After a few moments, it was the one in the middle who again spoke up.

"It has been many years since we have heard from the earthlings. But Goku is a hero among our people and Lady Bulma's kindness is legendary. In what way do you represent them?"

Now it was Trunk's turn to speak. "Bulma is my mother and Goku was the father of my best friend. My name is Trunks and this is my partner, Erasa. We came here because we are in a desperate situation on Earth and we need your help. Please, may we see Elder Moori?"

The Nameks nodded in consent. "Elder Moori has always said that if ever the opportunity came that we could repay the earthlings for their kindness, we should not hesitate to offer our services. This way. Can you fly?"

Trunks nodded. "My friend can't but I can carry her. How far is it?"

"Not far" said the middle Namek. "Elder Moori lives in a village a few minutes from here."

"Thank you. Lead the way."

Trunks scooped Erasa gently into his arms and lifted up in the air after the Nameks. Shortly after their flight began, the most vocal Namek introduced himself.

"My name is Mandal. I am the chief warrior for our people on this side of the sea. I am sorry we were not so gracious when you first arrived. Our race endured a terrible genocide when Frieza came to our old planet looking for the dragon balls. We have had to be much more cautious when dealing with outsiders and twice as vigilant in our training."

Trunks nodded. "We understand. My mother told me what was Frieza was like and I don't blame you for taking extra precautions. We really appreciate you taking us to see Moori."

"It is not a problem. The kindness and hospitality displayed to us by your mother while we were without a home world has not been forgotten; any son of Lady Bulma is welcome here."

Erasa was relieved. These green aliens were nothing like Hollywood had depicted them before the androids; they were actually quite pleasant. Not more than eight minutes later, Earth time, the Namekian escorts descended to a small village roughly the size of a recreational park on Earth. Trunks and Erasa followed Mandal and the others until they reached an oval-like dwelling in the center of the village.

"This is Elder Moori's home. Come in after me."

The two earthlings followed Mandal into the domed building and beheld a figure sitting on a simple, yet, regal chair in the center of the room. He was rather short and very wrinkled. Elder Moori.

"Who are our guests Mandal?" asked the Elder.

"Elder Moori, these are travelers from the planet Earth. They represent Lady Bulma and Goku. The young man is Bulma's son."

The elder Namek leaned forward interestedly. "Is he now? Well son of Bulma, what is your name and the name of your companion?"

Trunks stepped forward. "My name is Trunks and this is my partner Erasa. We send you warm greetings from my mother who regrets that she couldn't be here in person. You see sir, we kind of have a situation on our hands."

"Oh? And what kind of situation is it? Not danger, hopefully?"

Trunks bowed his head slightly. "No sir. The danger is over; finally. About twenty years ago, the human race was attacked by two powerful androids. All of the Earth's Special Forces were killed as were literally billions of our people. It was genocide. Only about two million survived the last two decades of terror; two million out of over seven _billion_. Our whole world was nearly completely destroyed. We were reduced to living in underground shelters. I was finally able to destroy the androids nine months ago, but recovery is a slow process. I'm sure you understand that better than most."

Moori nodded solemnly. He had stood up from his chair now.

"Unfortunately, our dragon balls disappeared when the androids killed Piccolo. You remember him, right? We were hoping that you would allow us to use your dragon balls to revive our friends and restore the Earth's population to the way it was before the androids. We really could use your help."

The other Nameks who were in the room were listening intently, looks of anger and concern on their faces; how could such a thing have happened with them not knowing?

Moori walked closer to Trunks, a look of great sadness on his face. "I'm sorry you had to go through that son. And you too my dear" he said, nodding to Erasa.

"Had we known what you dear ones were going through, we would have helped you in an instant. We are deeply sorry for your loss. Was Goku killed as well?"

Trunks shook his head. "No. Goku died from a natural illness a year before the androids came."

"I see. Then there is no way of reviving him; you know that?"

"Yes sir."

Moori nodded. "The others however, are an entirely different matter. You may be happy to learn that we upgraded Porunga's power after the Frieza disaster. Our dragon balls are now capable of reviving entire populations without wasting the other two wishes. It would be an honor to use them for the purpose of helping your people."

Trunks and Erasa smiled from ear to ear. "Thank you so much! We can never repay you!" cried Trunks.

"Yeah! You guys are awesome!" Erasa gushed.

Moori inclined his head humbly. "Nonsense. After what your mother did for us, this little favor hasn't even come close to paying her back. But before we gather the dragon balls I must ask you something. Both of you are wearing clothes highly reminiscent of the old Saiyan armor. Is there any particular reason for that?"

Trunks blushed slightly. "Oh um…well you see…my father was a Saiyan and I, uh…I guess I wear these as a reminder of him. And my mom designed that outfit for Erasa, so…well, that about covers it."

Moori smiled. "I see. Your father was a Saiyan. Well, I only knew one other pureblooded Saiyan besides Goku. A man by the name of Vegeta. But it would be extremely difficult picturing such a kind woman as your mother together with a man like him."

Trunks blushed even deeper. "Well, I guess stranger things have happened."

"You don't say? Well…this is an unexpected development. But I can see the resemblance now. You look very much like the prince, Vegeta; especially your eyes. Well now, come! Let us collect those dragon balls!"

Trunks glanced excitedly at Erasa who herself was positively bursting with excitement. This was it. What they had waited nine months for, ever since that first press conference after the androids. What Trunks and Bulma had really been waiting twenty years for.

One by one, individuals began departing, and then returning to Moori's home. The dragon balls were kept separate from one another, concealed inside individual homes.

"I suggest we go outside" said Moori. "Porunga is going to need some room; especially considering we haven't summoned him in twenty years."

Erasa was startled. "What? You mean you haven't made any wishes in all that time? How come?"

"There has been no need. Life is good to us. We have a home, our population is thriving once again, and the threat of an attack is lower than ever; using the dragon balls for personal gain would be extremely selfish."

Well, that was humbling. A younger Namek approached them. He was not as muscular as Mnandal or their welcoming committee; this told Trunks that he must not be a warrior.

Ah, Dende" said Moori. "The dragon balls have been assembled; you may summon him whenever Trunks here, gives you the signal." The one called Dende nodded.

Turning to Trunks, Moori asked "Porunga is capable of granting three wishes; have you thought of them already?"

Trunks frowned. Come to think of it, he hadn't actually considered what he would do with his third and final wish. He had been so focused on the first two that he barely gave the third a passing thought. Suddenly, he got an idea.

"Yes. I've got them all."

Moori smiled. "Very well. Dende, summon him."

Erasa leaned in as she noticed the orange objects glowing brightly, like a nightlight from her childhood. She wondered what would happen when the dragon was summoned. Suddenly, a loud voice at her left said "Arise Porunga!"

* * *

**Well I hope everyone had an excellent weekend! The moment of truth has arrived; Trunk's greatest dream is about to come true…or is it? Honestly, I haven't decided if I should break Trunk's heart or not. But don't worry; Gh/Vi are definitely making an appearance next chapter.**

**dcp1992 & Soundwave-82: Thank you. I hope I don't disappoint. **

**And I concede that I made a mistake regarding Trunk's SS status; I will change it eventually. I still don't like the whole Ascended/Ultra SS concept. There wasn't a middle ground between SS2 and SS3 or SS3 and SS4 (though SS4 wasn't exactly canon). Way too confusing a concept for me. Anyway, I concede defeat on that point. I hope to have another chapter up by the end of the week. **

**If you have any suggestions on how you might want the story to go I'm open to hearing them. As always, please Read and Review!**


	7. For Who We Used to Be

**Disclaimer: Lyrics to "All My Loving" are the intellectual property of Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr or the estate of Michael Jackson or whoever owns the Beatles catalogue these days.**

**To the anonymous reviewer of chapter 1: I hear you on the whole summary thing; it is repetitive but I did it more for myself than anybody. Just so I could remember what happened! I'll keep that in mind though. And lol at the Green Day remark; that made your whole comment twice as good.**

* * *

**Chapter 7: For Who We Used to Be**

_I'll pretend that I'm kissing the lips I am missing_

_And hope that my dreams will come true_

_And then while I'm away I'll write home everyday _

_And I'll send all my loving to you_

The tall, proud man stepped forward, knowing that his next few words would probably be his last. "Androids! Prepare yourselves! Your time of terrorizing our planet is finished! I am Hercule, the champion of the world and I will stop you!" If he could just keep the androids busy long enough for that golden kid to get here most people might actually have a chance to get out of the city safely. Hercule knew that he didn't stand a chance against the monsters; he wasn't capable of flying or shooting laser beams out of his hands or eyes, or any other part of his body. He couldn't crush a car with a simple fist, no matter how much he hyped his Megaton Punch. Still, he was the city's protector and he took his responsibility to its citizens very seriously. Besides, his little girl was here somewhere, and he would be damned if he was going to allow anything to happen to his precious daughter.

"What a pathetic excuse for a human being. Seventeen, just kill him quickly so we don't have to hear him run that loud mouth of his. If you don't, I will."

The male android looked disparagingly at his counterpart. "Give me a break 18. All you ever want to do is kill them quickly. Where's your sense of adventure? Did it ever cross your mind that maybe one of these people might actually be strong?"

"Pssh! Yeah right! The only decent fighter we've seen in years is that annoying kid; Gohan, or whatever. At least he keeps things interesting. This guy..." she said, gesturing towards the afro wielding karate champion. "This guy is nothing. Probably the reason Gero wanted us to destroy the humans anyway."

Seventeen smirked. "You can be so impatient sometimes. If you want him so badly go ahead; I won't interfere."

Hercule tried to work out their conversation quickly in his mind. So the androids thought that the golden kid was a decent match; Gohan, they called him. Now he had a name to shout out when things went downhill; and Hercule understood that they would go downhill…fast. Still, a small, macho part of him was slightly relieved that he would be facing the girl rather than the other android.

Android 18 walked stealthily towards her prey, an expressionless stare claiming her features. "You are a pathetically outclassed man" she said. "But you've got more guts than most of the people we kill. Give me your best champ. Who knows; maybe you might get lucky."

Contrary to what you may hear, Hercule was not a weak man. In fact, by human standards he was actually pretty tough. But he knew going in that the fist he threw at the android's face would have absolutely zero effect; his pride just never caught up with his brain. The android simply stood there with that same blank look on her face.

"Oh. Was I supposed to scream?"

She backhanded Hercule about thirty feet off into the distance where he landed in a heap of garbage.

"Hey Eighteen, it's your turn to take out the trash!"

"Shut up Seventeen. Honestly, you're so juvenile."

She glided swiftly to where Hercule lay. "I told my brother I was going to finish you quickly; I'd hate to be a liar."

She pointed her palm downwards, a brilliant light forming at its center. This was it, Hercule thought. He was about to die. Suddenly, 18 was knocked out of the way by something bright and glowing. Correction, _someone_ bright and glowing. Gohan.

The young Super Saiyan stood tall, an obviously pained expression marring his youthful face. There were marks all over his arms and face; from his eyebrow dangled a long line of congealed blood.

"Gohan!" shouted Hercule in relief. "That is your name, right?"

Gohan never turned to look at the other man. "How do you know me?"

"It's what they called you earlier; they said that you were a challenge for them. Can you beat them? Do you think you can do it?"

Gohan steeled himself, determined not to reveal just how injured he really was. His encounter with the androids several minutes earlier had been quite damaging; he guessed a few of his ribs were broken, maybe a finger or two. On top of that, the bossy girl with the dark hair had demanded that he take her to Center City where her father was fighting. His refusal earned him a hard slap across his already sore face. What was up with that? Didn't she know he was trying to save her life?

Before Gohan could muster another thought, he was caught by the throat by a devious Android 17.

"You know that's not very nice when you attack someone with their back turned."

"You do it all the time" Gohan choked.

"We are superior beings, designed to put people like you in their proper place. What we do is inconsequential."

"You're monsters! Someday someone will make you pay for your crimes…And I hope with all my heart that it'll be me!"

There was a spluttering sound from behind him. He looked out of the corner of his eye just in time to see 18 tossing the flinching body of Hercule aside like a rag doll; a hand sized hole adorned his neck. Gohan quickly shut his eyes in horror. He felt a hard slap across his face and then there was nothing; he knew no more.

Why the androids had chosen to spare him that day Gohan never knew. When he had awaked, the city was damaged, but had escaped relatively unscathed. Most of the people had fled to their underground shelters and escaped with their lives. Only a few had perished on that day. Including Hercule.

xXx

Six years later, at the Son family home, an older, taller, battle scarred Gohan stood dressed in the finest suit money could buy…back when money could still be used to buy things. Standing across from him was the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on. Her dark hair hung like luxurious curtains down to her shoulders, lightly tapered bangs tickling her eyebrows like a feather. Her skin was a milky white, eyes so blue he often found himself lost in their depths. Her white dress was simple, and yet, caused her to shine with a radiance Gohan doubted he would ever witness again in his life.

Off to the side, Bulma and Trunks stood respectfully, the only ones present besides the man performing the ceremony. Speaking of which, Roshi thought, they had better count themselves loved that he would be willing to come out of hiding to perform this blasted wedding ceremony! After a few minutes, Master Roshi stopped talking and invited Gohan to kiss his new bride. The chaste, tender kiss the two had shared before Bulma and her son a year ago had morphed into something deeper, more substantial.

It was not excessive, but neither was it light. Gohan and Videl's first kiss as husband and wife was intense, meaningful, something altogether pure in that it represented the undying devotion of two people who knew that they could die tomorrow. And yet, they were willing to make this commitment to each other; to hold the other close and serve the needs of the other as long as they both were alive.

xXx

Videl stepped forward and gazed into the eyes of the man she loved more than anything else in the world. Eyes that were so full of pain and responsibility. She moved slowly, not because of fear, though that was certainly a factor. No. She moved slowly because of the uncharacteristically sensitive nature of her stomach.

"Gohan" she said. "I…I have something to tell you." She looked down, catching sight of the reason for her disturbance; the reason for both her joy and her terror.

"Gohan, we're going to have a baby; I'm pregnant."

Gohan merely stood in silence for a moment before his face broke into a brilliant grin not even the end of the world itself could break. He picked up his wife by the waist and twirled her around in the air. They were going to have a baby! A baby! Gohan and Videl, proud parents! A complete family; the Sons. Videl nearly cried at the look of pure joy on the face of her husband. Really, despite all the reservations about boys she'd expressed when she was a girl, a complete family was all she ever wanted.

xXx

Gohan stood alone, looking down at his wife's grave. She was buried next to her father. Not on the plot of land where Goku was buried, not in the mountains where they had hoped to have a life together after the androids. But it was best this way. People couldn't know; nobody could ever know that they were married until it was over. That would just give the androids one other thing to hold over Gohan's head. What if they desecrated her gravesite, just to goad Gohan into action? No, Gohan would not be the cause of more dishonor to the woman he loved, the girl who stole his heart when she smacked him across his face for refusing to take her to see her father's death. He would not be the cause of more shame to his best friend, his partner, the mother of his child.

He had no way of knowing, but Gohan was sure their unborn child had been a girl. But now he'd never know because they had both been taken from him. It was a shame really. They could have learned the child's sex but had purposely decided to be surprised. Bulma had told them to expect the child on May 8th 778. Videl grew bigger and bigger by the day. Really, their anticipation for the newest addition to the Son family had never been higher. Until, one day, it was over. Gohan had returned from training to find the home they had been given by Bulma in ruins, along with most of Pleasant Town, a suburb of West City. His wife's lifeless body he recovered from the ashes; her arm draped protectively over the life in her womb.

Fighting to hold back tears, Gohan walked away from the resting place of Son Videl. The ornate headstone, specially crafted by Bulma read:

Son Videl

Wife, Mother, Friend

March 13th 756-May 8th 778

xXx

Scarcely two years later, a demoralized Trunks and Bulma stood similarly over the grave of Son Gohan, next to his father in the Mountains.

Son Gohan

Husband, Father, Friend, Master

May 6th 757-October 4th 780

xXx

There was a deafening roar from the dragon balls and lightning strikes in the sky. The clouds above darkened and there, towering a good 100 feet above the ground was the most hideous creature Erasa had ever seen. Had she not been prepared to see a dragon she would have screamed herself hoarse. Porunga was green with red eyes and large horns protruding from his skull. His upper half was extremely sculpted with muscle while his lower half trailed to the earth (well, Namek) in a long and windy tail.

Even Trunks, who had seen Shenron before, was awed; who knew dragons worked out? There was a booming sound like thunder from above; it was Porunga's voice.

"Why have you summoned me? Tell me your wishes; I will grant any three."

Dende turned to Trunks. "He's all yours."

Trunks looked up at the monstrous lizard and nodded. "Right."

Taking a couple steps forward, Trunks called up his requests. "Porunga, I request that you restore to life everyone on Earth who was killed by Androids 17 & 18 and Cell, except for their creator Dr. Gero!"

The giant lizard growled. "That is a very difficult and time consuming wish. Be patient."

After a good five minutes, Porunga boomed "Your wish has been granted. All those who died on Earth from Android's 17 & 18 and Cell have been revived with the exception of Dr. Gero."

A great shout of joy came from the Namekian villagers and Erasa in particular. Trunks smiled widely.

"Okay, thank you! Now for my second wish…Porunga, please restore the missing arm of Son Gohan!"

"One moment" the dragon said.

"Your wish has been granted. What is your third and final wish?"

Trunk's eyes watered slightly. "Please restore Son Chi-Chi, the mother of Son Gohan to her right mind; please restore her sanity!"

"All right" Porunga growled, "Just a sec."

A few seconds passed. Then, Porunga addressed them. "It can't be done." Trunks was floored.

"What? Why not?"

Porunga growled. "Because the one called Son Chi-Chi died from senile decay, as a natural progression of her illness. I cannot treat her because she is dead and I cannot revive her because her death was natural."

Trunks was disheartened. He had thought he would be able to fix everything; he hadn't counted on this. When did Chi-Chi die? "Are you sure there's nothing you can do?"

"I have told you already! If you have no further wishes then I will go."

"Wait!" Erasa shouted. Everyone's eyes fixed on the beautiful blond who had taken several steps closer to the dragon balls. "I have a wish!"

Trunks stared. "Erasa?"

"Quiet sweetheart; let me handle this."

Erasa looked up at the enormous dragon and began to state her demand. "Porunga, is it possible for you to change a person's biological age?"

The dragon merely glowered for a moment. Finally, "Yes, that is well within my powers to perform."

Erasa smirked gleefully. "Alright then, that's what I want you to do. Please reduce Bulma Briefs' biological age by twenty years and nine months; to the age she was when the androids first arrived on Earth!"

Trunks couldn't believe his ears. "Wait, what?"

"Don't worry babe; I know exactly what I'm doing."

"But Erasa, my mother will barely be older than me!"

"It has been done" said the loud voice from above. "I have granted three of your wishes. Now I shall go." The seven balls shot up into the air and were scattered over the surface of the planet.

"Wow" whispered Erasa softly.

Moori approached Trunks and held out his hands; after a moment to regain his composure, Trunks took them. "Well Trunks, you're wishes were granted. I'm very glad we could be of service to you. Please give our regards to your mother and those on the Earth."

"I will. Thank you; you've saved our entire race. I guess now we're even."

Moori shook his head. "No, not yet. We haven't fed and housed you for several months until you could relocate to a new home. When we do that for you, then we will consider the score even." Moori smiled at Erasa and said "And you my dear; I trust you will keep this young Saiyan in check. They can be a bit hot tempered at times."

Erasa smiled and winked at the elderly Namek. "You betcha! Hey Trunks, you hear that? I've been charged with keeping _you_ in check!"

Trunks rolled his eyes slightly.

"Hey, I saw that!"

The villagers laughed.

Turning to face the village at large, Trunks cleared his throat and said "Well everyone, it's been a pleasure meeting all of you. And thank you once again for allowing us to use your dragon balls. This has been the greatest day of my life and I have all of you to thank. My mother wasn't lying when she spoke of your kindness. But now I've got friends I want to see back home and I've been waiting for twenty years; I don't think I can hold out much longer."

Moori nodded in agreement. "We understand. It has been a pleasure meeting you young Trunks, and you too Miss Erasa; I feel sure our paths will cross again in the future."

Trunks smiled. "Yeah, let's just hope mass genocide isn't the common factor between us at that time."

"Let us hope my son. Let us hope."

The pair said their goodbyes to the villagers and then blasted off into the sky. A few short minutes later and Trunks had decapsulized their spaceship and he and Erasa were once again shooting off past the stars, this time, hurtling towards the brilliant blue sphere they called home.

As the two settled in for the seven day return trip, Erasa accompanied Trunks to the Holo Room, a room specially designed by Bulma to facilitate holographic communication.

Trunks had still not gotten over what had just transpired. "I can't believe you had Porunga de-age my mother! We'd better contact her so she doesn't freak out."

Erasa smiled contentedly. "Your mom was madly in love with your dad. It doesn't make any sense that she should have to suffer and age while your dad comes back young and fresh. This way they can make up for lost time together."

"But Erasa, there's no guarantee my parents will even be together again. This isn't like the past where father stayed behind; we have no idea what's going to happen with him."

Erasa simply smiled. "No, you'll see. Your mother told me about what she shared with Vegeta. He'll stick around, I'm sure of it."

After a few moments they got in touch with Bulma, who informed them that it was 10:00 a.m. Earth time. It was amazing the effect the wish had on her appearance. She looked like a whole new person. Her face was nearly empty of lines and her crow's feet had disappeared. Her hair had regained its blue brilliance, no longer faded; no longer mingling with strands of gray. She was absolutely gorgeous.

"So Trunks, what's up? Was it the right planet? I've been down here in the warehouse all morning working some improvements to the time machine. I think I've figured out how to decrease the amount of energy we use so that we don't always have to spend so much time recharging…" She appeared to have not even noticed the transformation her body had undergone.

"Mom, that's interesting and all but listen. We made contact with the Namekians; we did it! They're back, everyone!"

Bulma's eyes widened in shock. "Wh-what? You did it? You really did it? Wait! That means…he's here." Her voice trailed off and a faraway look crossed her eyes.

"Mom? Are you alright?"

"Trunks, you be careful out there and take care of 'Rase. I…need to go now." Her hologram disappeared a moment later.

"What was she all dazed for?" asked Erasa, though she had a pretty good idea. Trunks merely grinned. His blue eyes locked onto to hers. His look was striking. It was as if his features had shed about 100 pounds; he looked absolutely light as a feather.

"Usually, the dragon balls will revive a person at the relative location where they originally died" he said. "My father died on the front lawn of our house. That means he's probably there right now and she didn't know it. I think she was just a little overwhelmed."

Erasa "oohhed" in comprehension. Then, a devious little smirk played out on her face. "I think this calls for a celebration. What do you say we have our own little time to get 'reacquainted' in my room?" Trunk's face turned beat red but he didn't exactly refuse. "Let's go" she said, grabbing him by the arm. As the two earthlings disappeared behind closed doors, many millions of miles away, another reunion was taking place that was sure to rival anything Erasa and Trunks could accomplish in a bedroom, on a ship, in the middle of space.

* * *

The man looked around the city; the city that looked so different from his last memory of it. Was this Pepper Town? It couldn't be. Wasn't it destroyed by the androids? Come to think of it, wasn't _he_ destroyed by the androids? He decided to run down a mental checklist, just to make sure that his mind was working correctly.

_"My name is Son Gohan. I am son of Goku and Chi-Chi, I am 23 years old. I am…_was_ married to Son Videl. I am a Super Saiyan."_ Yup, everything seemed to be in good working order. Wait a minute. _"Didn't I lose an arm? Didn't I have only one arm a few minutes ago? How'd I get this one?"_ It took a while for it to dawn on him that everything he was experiencing right now was a tell tale sign that he was actually alive. That he was a living, breathing, flesh and blood man. But how?

Suddenly, Gohan felt a familiar energy signal that sent pulses of apprehension and longing through his core. Suddenly, it no longer mattered how he was alive. All that mattered was that he get to the source of that energy signal, wait, _two_ energy signals! It couldn't be…could it? Craning his neck, Gohan sped off in the direction of the energies, towards Pleasant Town, and a life he thought he had lost forever.

xXx

Son Videl scanned her surroundings and quickly surmised that she knew where she was. This was home; the home she shared with the greatest man in the world. She felt a stir in her middle as she placed a hand on the swell of her stomach. It was still there. The child, their child, was still there. She was there, the child was there, it was moving inside her so it couldn't be dead. But where was _he_?

Videl took in her surroundings properly for the first time and realized that she wasn't the only person gazing about in wonder and astonishment. In fact, the streets were full of people, men, women, and children who looked as if they had absolutely no idea how or why they were here. At any other time Videl would have found this interesting. Instead she was only focused on finding him: Gohan. She couldn't understand why he wasn't here. He never would leave her confused like this, especially not while carrying his child. A horrible thought occurred to her at this moment. _"What if he's fighting the androids? What if he's hurt?"_

As she tried to calm herself for the baby's sake she felt a sudden spike in energy and it was coming straight towards her. It was a brilliant energy, like fire, one she had felt before. It was approaching her quicker now, moving at an urgent pace. She thought she could make out a figure in the distance. Before she could squint her eyes to see clearer, he was there standing before her.

There was silence between them for a few moments, each not making a move, not sure if what they were seeing was real or mirage. It looked real; their beating hearts _felt_ real. But how could it be real? Gohan stepped forward and placed his left hand on her stomach, his right on her cheek. The touch of their skin certainly felt real. Finally, it was Gohan who broke the fragile silence.

"That rainy day in June when I saved you from the androids and you were like a child in my arms. I took you to my home and nursed you back to health. You kissed me. I told you that I would protect you from danger as long as my heart beat. And that day by the mountains…we looked at each other and both promised to be there for the other as long as we both shall live. Real or fake?"

Videl looked up at the taller man, his dark eyes swimming with questions. She didn't know what her eyes were showing but looking up into the face of the man she loved more than she loved herself she was certain that her heart felt on the verge of bursting with longing. Stepping closer she whispered "Real."

The two leaned forward slowly. Their lips met in the most fantastic release of emotions the universe, perhaps, had ever seen. Gohan ran his hands through the hair of the woman in front of him, reveling in its texture and her scent. Videl's eyes no longer held back their tears as they flowed freely down her cheeks and into the orange gi she buried her face in. It was real. Somehow, and neither of them had any idea, but somehow they had managed to come back to each other. And it didn't matter what was going on around them. It didn't matter what was happening in another city in another part of the world. All that mattered was that they were together, Gohan and Videl, the Sons.

Whatever questions they had, whatever concerns, they were gone. Melted away into an oblivion so that nothing existed except for them. They were not a mirage. No. They were Son Gohan and Son Videl: Husband and wife, best friends, partners, parents in training, alive…real.

* * *

**They're back! I wonder what's going on in Vegeta's mind right now. I'll admit that the wishes weren't spectacular but I felt like Erasa should make at least one and that Bulma really needed something good to happen for her.**

**Jimthebear2: I thought about the Namekian language but on Dragon ball wikia under the article Dragon ball (object) it says: "In the Kid Buu Saga, it was apparently revealed that now Porunga can also grant a wish that is not spoken in Namekian language, as Dende asked for the wish of all those killed by Buu in normal language." This might have been anime only but I'm going by it.**

**Gonstika: Thanks for the note on Goku; I never would have known that.**

**Lezlarr: Wow, thanks! I was always disappointed that Erasa never really got explored as a character in DBZ. I mean, she's there for like, five episodes and that's it. Who knows what she could have been like? I mean, Videl turned from mean spirited tomboy to a lovesick girl who positively gushed over Gohan. Erasa really could've been the next Bulma.**

**Tfsfan2: Goodness, thank you! And yeah, you're right; it was 6 months not a year.**


	8. I've Seen Your Heart and It's Mine

**A/N:Thank you to all who have reviewed, especially last chapter! Just a reminder, there's a reason I'm not explicit with the Trunks/Erasa interactions. I leave it up to the reader to imagine what they might be doing during their "alone time."**

* * *

**Chapter 8: I've Seen Your Heart and It's Mine**

What did you say to someone after twenty years of separation? How do you greet the lover you left to die on the front lawn of your house while you were whisked away in the arms of another man, your old flame? Somehow, Bulma didn't think a simple 'Hey, welcome back' would suffice. What made matters even more complicated was that she had never been completely certain as to what she even had with her prince. Yes she'd come to the conclusion that he had cared about her and their son, and even her parents for that matter; but the simple fact that he had cared didn't mean much. You can have all the warm, tender emotions imaginable in your heart but if you don't actually _display them_ or _do something_ about them then what you have really couldn't be called real.

And what was taking this stupid elevator so long? Bulma glanced at the polished glass panel that hung above her head and then looked back to the display of numbers indicating her progress up the elevator shaft. Wait a minute, _what did she just see?_ Again the former heiress looked up at the above panel, this time taking special note of her own reflection. This couldn't be right. It was like she was seeing another person; literally!

Bulma's eyes widened in surprise as they took in the breathtaking sight. It was her alright; definitely Bulma Briefs. But not the same Bulma briefs that had woken up at the crack of dawn this morning. Not the same Bulma Briefs who had gone to tinker with the time machine in the warehouse that was nearly a mile underground. No, she was looking at the Bulma from the past, a woman from a completely different world. Bulma fingered her long hair that hung down her shoulders. Taking it in her hands and pulling it so that her eyes could see, she noticed the familiar vibrancy of brilliant blue as opposed to the faded gray she had become accustomed to. She looked down further and noticed that her breasts had changed; not smaller, not larger, but higher up, more firm.

As her mind began racing trying to work out what could have possibly caused this sudden change in her appearance, she began to notice other things that made no sense but were welcoming nonetheless. Over the last several years Bulma had noticed that her eyesight was not what it once was; now everything was brought into much sharper focus. Her shoulders had begun to ever so slightly slump due to age (60 wasn't that far away) and the constant need to be hunched in underground shelters in rooms much too confined to be comfortable. Now they stood up straight, their burdens so much lighter. With all of this physical evidence before her very eyes Bulma could only come to one conclusion: She was _young_ _again_. Well, maybe not _young_ young; she wasn't in her twenties that was for sure. But in all honesty she looked and felt more like Erasa than herself at this moment and how old was the blonde? Thirty at the most.

How could something like this have happened? There was no logical, rational explanation for it. Bulma Briefs had seen some strange things in her day but to look and feel decades younger in a matter of hours was not something she was familiar with. As she pondered these thoughts she barely noticed that the elevator had come to a halt, a soft _ding_ indicating that it was time to depart. And yet she didn't make a move. How could she? She'd spent the last nearly 21 years trying to repress her memories of Vegeta; what could she be expected to do now that the Prince of all Saiyans was back and probably mere yards away from her? As she struggled with what she should do, a rough, masculine voice echoed throughout the walls.

"Hello? Is there anyone here? Woman! What is going on here?!"

Bulma's heart constricted. It was him…here. What on earth was she going to do? The voice became louder and louder as it neared the elevator. Come on Bulma, think! The first image of you Vegeta sees in over two decades should not be of you cowering in an elevator because you're too afraid to face him!

"If someone is in here and they're purposely ignoring me, you are going to rue the day you dared mock the Prince of all Saiyans! Hello!"

Bulma steeled herself then took a step forward. Everyone has to be bold sometimes.

"You would think that after twenty years you might have learned at least to say 'please.'"

Vegeta spun around and faced his rear. There, stepping out of some room was just the person he had been looking for. Elegant, slender, skin a creamy white, her brilliant blue hair hanging loosely about her face; the woman who had caused his most humiliating defeat.

"Well well, look who decided to show up: The spoiled brat of planet Earth."

Bulma's surprise was replaced by a taunting glare. "I'm quite astonished myself. The Royal Prick finally makes an appearance."

It was unbelievable. Twenty years had gone by and almost nothing had changed. The first words out of each ones mouth was an insult; an insult to mask the mingled passion and awe at the other's presence. That was how it had always been. When Vegeta had first returned to Capsule Corp. after failing to find Goku out in space he had taken up taunting Bulma as his favorite routine. And no holds were barred. Snide comments about her cooking, appearance (especially her hair), her smell, her taste in entertainment, her taste in men (he called Yamcha a pathetic weakling at least three times a day), her status as the Earth's spoiled rotten, filthy rich sweetheart, and just about anything else he could come up with, were what Vegeta used to create a mask of indifference; a mask that hid his true feelings for the blue haired beauty.

Bulma meanwhile engaged the flame haired Saiyan warrior in their game of insults for similar reasons; to hide away her desire for the exotic killer from another world, but also because she enjoyed the reversal of not always being the one in charge. It was quite boring to have nearly every man on Earth fall at her feet all the time. Having Vegeta around allowed her to feel vulnerable and taught her the lesson that no matter how hard she tried she would never be able to control the Warrior Prince.

The two opposing forces stood still for several moments, staring one another down. She had forgotten how ruggedly handsome he was, how his skin seemed to glow darkly like burnished bronze. He meanwhile, had forgotten how intoxicating her scent was, how she seemed to emit glimmering rays of sunshine just from the blinks of her eyes.

Vegeta cocked his head sideways before uttering his trademark "Hn." Then, looking straight at her, he said "I don't suppose you can explain why I'm back here? I'm pretty sure I was beaten by those lousy tin cans."

Bulma sighed deeply. "You were…over twenty years ago. A lot has changed since then. Those androids have been destroyed and everyone they killed was wished back with the dragon balls; that's why you're here again."

Vegeta looked mildly confused. "The Namek was killed; I thought they didn't work without him."

"That's true. Earth's dragon balls disappeared when Piccolo died but this isn't the only planet where we know dragon balls exist."

Vegeta smirked lightly. "So, you traveled all the way to the new planet Namek; very ingenious of you. But tell me" he said, suddenly serious. "Who defeated the androids? There's no way it could've been baldy, or the triclops, and there's no way in hell it could have been that pathetic piece of trash you used to call a boyfriend; I refuse to believe they could have succeeded where the Prince of all Saiyans had failed. So then, that just leaves…Kakkarot's brat. Well? Was it him?"

Bulma smiled sadly; same old Vegeta all right. "No it was neither of them. It was our son: Trunks."

If Bulma had had a camera on her she would've been the happiest woman in the world. Vegeta's eyes practically bugged out.

"What?! You've got to be kidding me! He was just a child…an infant. It makes no sense; how could an infant child defeat beings as powerful as that?"

Bulma shook her head. "You've got it all wrong Vegeta. Were you listening to what I told you before? You've been gone for over twenty years; a lot's changed. Our son is not a baby anymore. He's a grown man and he's far more powerful than anyone I've ever met; even you and Goku."

Vegeta merely stood there, too stunned to speak.

"Besides" Bulma continued, "it wasn't me who traveled to Namek either. It was Trunks who did that. He's the one who made the wish to bring everybody back; including you. You owe your son your life Vegeta. He's a hero; he finally succeeded where everyone else had failed. He's a Super Saiyan now…and more."

"What's that?! What do you mean by _more_? Are you trying to say that my son has reached a level beyond that of a Super Saiyan? That's absurd! The status of Super Saiyan is legendary; it is the pinnacle of power! For one to be able to usurp that power is…inconceivable."

Bulma smiled wryly. "Don't be so surprised Vegeta. After all, he is _our son_. With the raw power he inherited from you and the brains he inherited from me, it only makes sense that he would become more powerful than anyone else. And maybe I shouldn't tell you this, but…in order to gain this power Trunks traveled to another timeline where you, Goku and the others still lived. You, Goku, and Gohan as well, in addition to Trunks, all became Ascended Super Saiyans; even you went beyond."

He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Not only had he returned from the jaws of death _again_, but apparently, his son whom he had not seen since he was a baby had now surpassed him in power. As Vegeta grappled with these thoughts he suddenly noticed something out of place.

"Hold on. You say over twenty years have passed and yet you don't look a day older than you did when last I saw you. Saiyans are a warrior race; we retain our youth so that we can fight longer. I know for a fact that humans do not possess that same trait. Why then, have you not aged a single bit in two decades?"

Bulma bit her lip. What could she say? She didn't have an answer to that herself. "I really don't know Vegeta. I can assure you, I didn't look this good when I woke up this morning. Something must have happened between the time I woke up and the…time…" She trailed off, a curious thought crossing her mind.

Vegeta tapped his foot impatiently. "Hey! You were saying something; I don't appreciate being left to fend for myself while you are in mid-sentence!"

Bulma's eyes glowed fierce. "I was just thinking that it must have something to do with the dragon balls you arrogant hothead! Trunks and Erasa must have made some sort of wish that caused me to regress in age. It's the only possible explanation I can come up with."

"What the hell is an Erasa?"

Bulma snorted. "Erasa is not a 'what' she is a 'who.' Erasa is the name of the very nice and attractive young woman our son is in a relationship with."

Vegeta simply stood there and rolled his eyes. "I assume that she is a human, correct?"

"Of course she's a human! What else could she possibly be?"

"I don't know" Vegeta sneered, "but she must be quite a looker if _my son_ is satisfied with her."

Bulma cocked her head slightly, a cheeky grin playing out across her face. "Why Vegeta, I'm not sure I heard you correctly. That almost sounded like a compliment."

Now it was Vegeta's turn to snort. "Not at all. It was merely an honest statement of the facts. Saiyan royalty always had impeccable tastes in the fairer sex. You never would have had the honor of bearing my seed had I not surmised that you were the very best this planet had to offer."

"You egotistical jerk! You think you're all that? I'll have you know that I could have rejected you at any time. You're fortunate I even gave you the time of day after all the crap you pulled! You certainly were not Mr. Perfect. Your manners were poor, bordering on nonexistent, you hardly ever talked to anyone unless it was a subject you personally were interested in, not to mention the fact that you smelled horrible when you would leave the Gravity Room after your training; and I used to think _Yamcha_ smelled bad after he was done working out…"

She was cut off by the sudden movement of the Saiyan Prince to her hip, his strong arms latching firmly about her side. "My last memory was of enduring unbearable agony while you were taken away to safety. I fought that day not only to defend my honor but also to protect what was mine. I don't think you understand what I had to go through to force myself to think of your safety above my own. I warned you before…becoming involved with a person like me would be more than you could handle. I don't know how to love, I don't know how to show affection; I find your silly human displays of affection to be tedious, bordering on ridiculous.

"But you took me. And I gave up my life to defend you; it was excruciating, like trying to stitch together pieces of my soul that had long since been burned off by Frieza. You tell me that I have been gone for over twenty years and that my son is a conquering hero. You say that you woke up this morning aged and feeble, and yet upon my return you are as intoxicating as the moment we first came together after training in the Gravity Room…" Bulma shivered at the memory.

"I think the truth has at last been revealed. You and I are bound to travel along this path together. It only makes sense, too many coincidences have surrounded our union for it to be anything short of destiny."

Bulma's heart was practically bursting with anticipation. "Vegeta…what are you saying?"

Vegeta moved closer to the trembling woman with the aqua hair, the genius princess of Earth who had opened her heart to the Saiyan Prince. "You are mine" was all he said.

xXx

How much time had passed since he had opened his eyes? A minute, or five, or ten? No one will ever know for sure. By the time Krillin had come to the firm conclusion that he must be alive, three abnormally high power levels were approaching. What was going on? He recognized those energy signals. But weren't they dead too? Krillin scratched his bald head in wonderment as Piccolo, Tien, and Yamcha made landfall before his eyes.

"Krillin!" came the gleeful shouts of Yamcha and Tien.

"Hey guys! What happened? I thought we were toast!"

It was Piccolo who gave response. "I'm not exactly sure. I can sense that a tremendous number of life forces have just recently been restored to the planet; their energy imprint is still quite faint. And I've also been told by Tien and Yamcha that I was definitely dead. So my only conclusion is that someone wished us back with the Namekian dragon balls."

"Whoa" said Krillin. "How in the world did you come up with that Piccolo?"

"Simple. If I died, Earth's dragon balls died with me. The only other dragon balls known to exist are the ones from Namek. It's the obvious answer."

"Oh, yeah, right. My bad."

Tien looked around thoughtfully. "The question is" he began, "who was it that made the wish? It must have been one of our friends, right?"

"That sounds about right" said Yamcha. "But who could it have been? We all died in that fight didn't we?"

The three newcomers turned to Krillin. He had been the last to die.

"Umm, well…I remember that Gohan was still alive when I finally went down. It might have been Gohan!"

Piccolo remained thoughtful. "Gohan huh? Well it's a thought."

The foursome remained silent for a few moments each reveling in the thought that they were alive. Then Krillin spoke up.

"So do you think those androids have been destroyed? We couldn't sense them before and I don't sense them now so that really doesn't tell me anything."

Piccolo inclined his head gravely. "If it was Gohan who wished us back to life, I don't think he would have done so unless the danger was past. It would be pointless to revive millions of people if the threat to their lives wasn't over. We'll keep our eyes and ears out for them but I believe the androids are gone."

Krillin sighed in relief. "Well that's good news! I've never been so beaten in my entire life as I was with them. It was horrible."

"But that raises another question" Piccolo said suddenly. "If it was Gohan who defeated the androids how did he do it? Both Vegeta and I were stronger than he was and from what I've been told, Vegeta was even a Super Saiyan and he couldn't defeat them. How could Gohan have mustered up enough power to beat something as strong as those two?"

"Beats me" Krillin said. "Maybe it had something to do with the pain of loss. Didn't Goku transform for the first time after Frieza killed me?"

Piccolo remained silent. Then he said "Yes, I suppose it could be. Well we're not going to accomplish anything if we just stand around here asking questions! Let's try and make contact with some people and see if we can get some answers!"

"Right!" came their unified shout.

Suddenly, Tien picked up two very powerful energy signatures. "Hey guys! I can sense Vegeta…and Gohan! I think Vegeta is in West City and Gohan…he's in Pleasant Town!"

"Are you sure?" asked Piccolo. Then, "Yes, I can sense them too! But if Gohan's here then he couldn't be on Namek…that means someone else wished us back. I wonder who it could be…"

Krillin spoke next. "Listen guys. I'm going to go check on Master Roshi; I can sense his power level all the way out by Kame House. Yamcha, Puar is there. Do you want to come along?"

The scarred man grinned. "You bet."

"I'm going to go check on Chaozou" said Tien. "I can sense him now too."

Piccolo nodded. "Fine. I'll go off after Gohan and see if I can make heads or tails of this thing."

Krillin nodded as well. "How about we all meet at Kame House tonight at 7:00? That way we'll all be able to give a report on what we've learned."

"Sounds good" said Piccolo. The others nodded approval.

So they took off for the sky, each burning with questions and feeling the liberating chill of the cool wind that confirmed the suspicion that they were truly back on Earth.

xXx

A few minutes had passed but Gohan was still reveling in the presence of his wife. Their reunion had seemed so impossible and yet, here they were. What Gohan wouldn't have given to have died the same day as Videl; those last few years he had spent without her had been among the worst of his entire life. It's one thing to live without the person you love most if you never knew them in the first place. It's quite another to live without them after you've already come to know that person. For Gohan, being forced to move on from Videl was the hardest task he had _never_ accomplished.

After a while, Gohan's silence caught Videl's attention. "Hey, you're quiet. What's the matter?"

Gohan looked seriously at the woman of his dreams. "Do you know how hard it was for me to know that I lost you? To know that I wasn't there to help, that I let those murdering psychopaths destroy you?"

"Gohan stop. I can imagine that it must have hurt. It probably hurt more than when you would leave the house every other day to fight the androids and I'd never know if you were dead or alive until you dragged yourself through the front door looking like you had just gone through a meat grinder. But it's over now. I'm alive and so are you. We can be together again sweetheart; all three of us." She placed one of her delicate hands on the enormous swell of her womb that was due to burst any day now.

"I know" he said. "I know we're together now but…there's still so much I don't understand. How did we get here in the first place? Without Piccolo the dragon balls shouldn't work. Where are the androids? Are they really gone? We never could sense their power to begin with. Just because we don't see them right now doesn't mean that they aren't still here."

Videl cut him off with the soft brush of her lips. It was sad. All those years of constant battle, of all out war, had really taken their toll on Gohan; he was completely paranoid about the androids. As Videl's lips separated from Gohan's a small smile formed on her lips.

"The baby jumped. I think she liked that."

"She? What makes you think it's a girl?"

"Just a feeling." The baby jumped again. "Yeah, I think she _really_ liked that."

Gohan smiled also. "You mean this?" This time it was he who initiated the kiss and they both were ready for it. Gohan caressed his hands along her hips, dutifully aware of the delicate nature of the life force in her womb. Videl grabbed onto Gohan's neck as she jumped with all her might into his arms. They had not shared a kiss like this in a while (notwithstanding the 20 years that they were dead). When Videl started to show visible signs of pregnancy her intimacy with Gohan had decreased. Blame it on raging hormones, mood swings, and constant android battles.

"I hate to interrupt but I'm afraid I'm going to have to do so." Both Gohan's and Videl's eyes darted open and to their surprise, the large green form of Piccolo stood before them.

Videl nearly fainted. What on Earth was this big green guy doing here? It dawned on Gohan that Videl had never actually met Piccolo before.

"Piccolo! I can't believe it's you! How are you? You came back too huh?"

The Namek smiled slightly at the sight of his former pupil. He could not believe how much he had changed since he had last seen him. There was no denying it; Gohan was no longer a little boy. He was definitely a grown man with a grown man's lifestyle.

"I can see I missed out on a lot since I've been gone. And to answer your question, I'm fine. Happy to be alive and somewhat confused as to how it happened. Krillin, Tien, and Yamcha are all alive too and so is Vegeta. He's somewhere in West City."

Gohan broke into a brilliant smile. _"Damn he looks good when he's happy"_ Videl thought.

"This is unbelievable! I can't believe everyone came back! How'd it happen?"

Piccolo raised his brow. "I was hoping you would have the answer to that question."

Gohan shook his head. "No. I'm just as amazed by this as anybody. I died too you know, years after you did."

"What?!" cried Piccolo. "But…if you died than who could've wished us back? There wasn't anybody else left. Who…who could have been strong enough to defeat those androids and know enough to bring us all back with the Namekian dragon balls? I'm assuming that's the explanation for all of this."

Gohan was puzzled as well but he suddenly got an idea. Smirking, he said "I think I know who's responsible for this. But before I say anything, Piccolo this is my wife Videl. And Videl, this is Piccolo. He was my old master, the one I told you about."

Videl disentangled herself from Gohan and held out her hand for Piccolo to take. "I'm very pleased to meet you Piccolo. Gohan told me so much about you; he was very fond of you."

Piccolo was taken aback by her gesture but acquiesced. "Nice to meet you Videl." Turning back to Gohan he said "Now what are you talking about? Who do you think is behind this?"

Gohan simply kept smirking and said "I don't want to say anything in case I'm wrong. But I think we should head out to West City and pay Bulma a visit. If my hunch is correct we all owe our lives to her son…Trunks."

Videl's heart skipped a beat. Trunks? The young boy who followed Gohan around like he was some sort of god? Gohan's "little brother", his student? _Their Trunks?_

Piccolo meanwhile was stumped. "Trunks? You mean that little boy of Bulma's and Vegeta's? What does he have to do with this?"

Gohan shook his head. "Nope, not telling until we talk to Bulma. Videl, we're going to need to fly and I am not leaving you alone again. Please hold on tight okay?"

Videl looked uncertainly at her husband but at his look of reassurance she smiled warmly and nodded. "Okay."

Piccolo too was unsure where Gohan was going with this. "Gohan?"

"Don't worry Piccolo. Let's just go to Bulma's and we'll talk about this. Besides…my house has been destroyed. I want to ask her if Videl and I can stay there until we can build a new place. We're going to need all the comfort we can get once the baby arrives and I've got _a lot_ of pent up energy I'm dying to release, right babe?"

Videl was taken aback by Gohan's reference to her as "babe" and his shameless allusion to his not so innocent desires. "Gohan" she said, a faint flush coloring her cheeks, "we're in public."

Gohan took his wife into his arms and swept her up bridal style. She yelped in surprise. "Yes we are. And I for one am not going to waste a single moment in showing how much you mean to me. I missed that opportunity once, and I am never going to miss it again. Come on. Let's go visit some old friends."

Together, Gohan and Piccolo, with Videl in tow set off in the direction of West City.

xXx

Had Bulma ever truly appreciated her youth? That was up for debate. One thing was certain though: She certainly was going to appreciate it now that she had been given a second chance. The Saiyan Prince was sending shivers down her spine as he slowly trailed his lips from her mouth to her neck and down to her shoulders.

What had gotten in to him? Was it the simple fact that he was alive again? Was it something to do with the sacrifice he had made in battle for her all those years ago? Bulma didn't know for sure. The only thing that was certain was that what was happening now almost exactly mirrored the circumstances in which Trunks was conceived.

"Vegeta…are you sure? This seems so…unlike you."

Vegeta smirked evilly. "Be quiet woman; I am not interested in hearing you talk right now. In fact" his smirk grew even deeper. "The only word I'm interested in hearing you speak is _my name_."

Bulma's eyes widened as she opened her heart completely to the Prince of all Saiyans. "I always knew you would come around Vegeta…I always hoped that one day…"

Vegeta took Bulma's chin in his hands and said very simply "Woman…shut up."

* * *

**Well guys, another chapter. I tried to keep Vegeta as 'in character' as possible but I acknowledge that he may be OOC at times. I really feel that I should show a different aspect (not a "sensitive" side) of Vegeta, one that is more sympathetic to Bulma's feelings. I promise that Vegeta will not become the next Goku.**

**And I understand that some may want to see some action and training. I may include that but it's not the main point of this story. I really want to explore the beginnings of Gohan and Videl's family as well as Vegeta and Bulma's tumultuous relationship. Hopefully I'll be able to present it in an interesting way.**

**By the way, I really don't like the depiction of death, specifically, what happens after death in DBZ. It seems so stupid that dead people can just hang out with their dead friends and train; it takes all the sadness and seriousness out of death. So in this story, there's none of that nonsense going on.**

**To all who have reviewed, thanks a million! Please keep them coming. **


	9. This is Where We Belong

**Chapter 9: This is Where We Belong**

Six days had passed since the Z fighters were revived. They had learned that Trunks, the young boy most of them had hardly known, was responsible for saving the world and bringing all of them back to life. For Videl and Gohan this was exhilarating; for everyone else it was troubling. Well, maybe not troubling, but certainly bizarre. It just seemed so strange to think that the most powerful warrior in the world was last seen as an infant. If anyone _was_ troubled however, it was definitely Vegeta. For the life of him the Saiyan prince simply could not come to terms with the concept that a half-breed, whether his son or not, could have become stronger than he had been. When Vegeta had become a Super Saiyan he had though that it was the pinnacle of power; no one could be stronger than a Super Saiyan. After all, hadn't the third rate clown Kakkarot defeated Frieza after becoming a Super Saiyan? Frieza was supposed to be unbeatable but he had fallen to Kakkarot's Super Saiyan powers.

And hadn't the legends he had been told by his father spoken of the Super Saiyan's unmatchable power? So how comes it then, that the Prince of all Saiyans, in his own right a Super Saiyan, had been beaten by some tin can androids and then had his own power surpassed by his half-breed son? It was maddening! But for all the havoc this new information played with Vegeta's mind it also lit a fire inside of him; a fire that could not be quenched until he had learned the secret of ascension. And his half-breed brat was going to teach him that secret.

Trunks was scheduled to come home today. The only communication between Trunks and earth was with his mother; Bulma felt it best to keep communication between her and Trunks so that he could get the full impact of his wishes when he returned home. During this period, Bulma learned that it was indeed a wish of the dragon balls that restored her to her youth. And who would complain about that?

It was at 2:00 that afternoon, just about an hour before Trunks and Erasa were scheduled to arrive, that Bulma was interrupted from her preparations by a very stressed out Videl.

"Hey there girl, what's up?" asked Bulma. Videl winced in pain.

"Hey Bulma, have you seen Gohan?"

"I think he went into the city with Krillin to get some more food for the party tonight. You know how Saiyans eat and with three of them here it's going to be unlike anything you've ever seen before. What's wrong? Do you need him for something?"

Videl winced again. "I think the baby's coming." A brief silence. Then…

"What?!" Bulma cried. "Are you sure? Videl, has your water broken yet? Are you dilating? Do you feel…?"

"Yes!" Videl cried out loudly.

"Okay. I'm going to take you to the infirmary level. I just wish I had another girl here to help me with the delivery."

The two women made their way to the upper level of the compound where at one time, a fully functioning hospital had served. Now it was just a small infirmary.

Bulma checked her watch. "Less than an hour left" she muttered. "Well, it looks like we might be having a double welcoming party! I can't wait to see the little bundle!"

Videl glared daggers at Bulma. "Little bundle?! It feels like I have a freaking watermelon trying to burst through me! And you're calling it a _little bundle?_ You're insane!"

Bulma smiled, taking the insult in stride. She quite remembered what it felt like when she was in labor with Trunks. Fifteen hours of pure hell and to top it off, Vegeta hadn't even had the decency to check on her welfare. Bulma remembered how alone she felt when her baby's father refused to be there for her in her hour of greatest need and she was _not_ going to let the same thing happen to Videl.

"Hey Vegeta!" Vegeta, who had been lazily flipping through channels on the television (human mind suck he called it) cringed at the high pitched shriek.

"What do you want woman?"

"I need you to go out and find Gohan now! Tell him his wife's going into labor and he'd better get his sorry butt back here immediately!"

Vegeta snarled. The nerve of this woman! "I will do no such thing! How dare you suggest that the Prince of all Saiyans be sent off on an errand by the whims of a weakling human as if I was a common…"

"Now you listen to me you arrogant little monkey! It was bad enough that you weren't there for me when I was giving birth to _your_ son but you better recognize that things are different around here now! You were killed by the androids. It was only out of special courtesy that Trunks revived your miserable carcass and you had better realize that if you hope to stay in this house and eat my food, and sleep in my bed you had better start carrying your weight around here and that means more than just training and watching soap operas on TV! Videl is going into labor and she needs her husband; _you_ are the only one here who can sense energy and _you_ are the only one here who can fly, so _you_ are the one that's going to find him! Understand?"

Vegeta was floored at her insolence. He had not come back to life for this! "Now you listen to me you intolerable wretch" he began, but it was Videl whose voice drowned out his.

"JUST GO GET GOHAN BEFORE I TELL HIM THAT YOU REFUSED TO HELP ME AND I ASK HIM TO TEAR YOU LIMB FROM LIMB!"

Vegeta was floored. "How dare you speak to me like that girl? Don't you know who I am?"

"I DON'T CARE WHO YOU ARE YOU MISERABLE PIECE OF CRAP! I'M IN AN EXTREME AMOUNT OF PAIN AND I NEED GOHAN! NOW!"

"What on earth are you waiting for Vegeta? Go!" Without another word Bulma swept Videl away and off towards the infirmary.

Vegeta now faced a dilemma. There was nothing his woman or Kakkarot's brat's wife could do to him physically; Gohan however, was another story. He too was a Super Saiyan and Gohan has had a lot more time to perfect his form than Vegeta had; a fight between the two of them could end badly for the Saiyan prince. As Vegeta struggled with this oh so difficult decision the doorbell rang. Snarling with rage, Vegeta stalked to the front door and answered.

"What do you want?"

Yamcha was perturbed. "What do you mean 'what do I want?' I'm here for Trunks' return party."

Vegeta rolled his eyes in irritation. Then he got an idea. "I'll make you a deal. I promise that I won't kill you today if you go off and find Gohan. He's needed here."

"You wouldn't kill me; Bulma would have your head if you did that. What do you need Gohan for anyway?"

"Because fool, apparently his weakling woman is having a brat."

Yamcha was dumbfounded. "What are you talking about?"

Vegeta couldn't believe this human's stupidity. "The woman is having Gohan's offspring! She's been shrieking her damn head off for him to come here but apparently he hasn't sensed his wife's energy fluctuations or he'd be here already, the sentimental fool that he is. I'm telling you to go out and get him. Have I made myself clear?"

Yamcha's eyes bugged out. "What?! She's having the baby now?" Yamcha hadn't known Videl for very long but any girl who was cool enough to be married to Gohan and carrying his kid was a friend in his book.

Vegeta's patience was waning. Channeling his energy he shot into Super Saiyan form. "Yes now!"

Yamcha started to back up; he was not in the mood to fight a Super Saiyan. "Okay, I'm going!"

"There's no need" said a voice from above. Gohan and Krillin landed quickly on the front lawn. "I'm already here."

"Go ahead Gohan" said Krillin. "You can do this."

Gohan smiled nervously. What was going to happen? He had only ever seen one baby close-up before. Would he be a good father? How could he make his kid have a perfect childhood when he had been deprived of one himself? Would he screw up? Would Videl be mad at him? All these thoughts raced through the mind of Son Gohan as he himself raced through the halls of Capsule Corp.

With an almighty crash Gohan bounded through the door to the infirmary where he was greeted by the sight of Bulma snapping on latex gloves while Videl laid on a bed, her face contorted in agony.

"Gohan!" she cried. "Oh Gohan, get it out please just get it out. It hurts so much!"

"I know. Don't worry; we're going to get through this."

Bulma reappeared with a device in her hand. "Videl I'm pumping in some pain medication through your IV. Just give it a few minutes and you'll start to feel more relaxed."

Gohan looked at Bulma. "Do you have any idea how long it'll be before the baby's born?"

She shook her head. "It varies from woman to woman. It could be anywhere from a few minutes to several hours; maybe even days."

Videl's eyes bugged. "No not days. That thing is coming out _today_. Gohan, I love our baby but it has got to come out. I just want to be rid of it! Not the baby though; I don't want to be rid of the baby! I just want it _out of me!_"

Gohan nodded and took his wife's hand in his. "I understand. You're in a lot of pain right now. But I promise you Videl, I'll be here the whole time. You won't go through a single thing without me being here. I love you."

Videl smiled weakly. "I love you too Goha-oh god!"

Bulma smiled as she looked at the young couple. She didn't even know the gender of the baby that was due but she was sure of one thing: The circumstances couldn't be more different form when it was Bulma in the hospital bed.

xXx

The earth was now in sight. It would only be a matter of minutes before Trunks and Erasa made their triumphal landing back at Capsule Corp. What would await them there? Erasa was practically throwing herself into a fit, wondering what the legendary Z Warriors would be like and if she would make a good impression on them. Her heart nearly burst at the thought of seeing her Videl again. Trunks meanwhile, was not quite as nervous, having already met his mother's friends in the past but was definitely uncertain about the welcome he would receive from his father. Would Vegeta even be there? He might have skipped town as soon as he realized what had happened.

As they neared the brilliant blue planet Erasa leaned her head against the massive shoulders of her boyfriend. "What do you think we'll see down there?"

Trunks smirked slightly. "Good friends; the best."

"Are you worried about your parents at all?"

"Of course I am. But I know my father. There's more to him than he lets people see; he does care, _really_ deep down. From what I've been told, my father went into a blind rage when I was killed by Cell in the past. He attacked Cell like a madman. That doesn't sound like the kind of guy who is impervious to emotion. Whatever happens, I'm sure we'll be able to handle it."

Erasa sighed. The anticipation of meeting Trunks' "family" was killing her. Come to think of it, wouldn't her own family have come back to life as well? She sure looked forward to seeing the look on her mother's face when she realizes that her daughter is in a relationship with the guy who beat the androids!

Trunks decided that now would be a good time to get something off his chest. "Erasa, there's something I've been wanting to ask you."

"What's up?"

Trunks hesitated. "Well…during these last few weeks we've become quite close. I…really like you Erasa, a lot. But I just want to make sure that you know what you're doing. Being involved with someone like me carries a great risk. You could be targeted by some future enemy who wants to use you to get to me. You might find yourself alone because I've been killed in a battle. If you grow close to Gohan and the others the pain you'll feel at their loss will be magnified. I just want you to be sure that you are ready for this…for the future."

Erasa considered Trunks thoughtfully. He had a point. Was she willing to subject herself to worry and emotional torment if ever there was another disaster like the androids? On the one hand the reality of the situation frightened Erasa somewhat. On the other hand she had survived twenty years of the androids and could not be easily intimidated by some vague future that was not even here. Besides, Trunks was just so gosh darn handsome!

"Babe, I'm ready to face the future with you come what may. You're not getting rid of me that easy."

Trunks did not smile. "Erasa, seriously. Do you think you can handle it?"

Erasa's eyes narrowed slightly. "I am _not_ a fragile little girl Trunks. I survived twenty years in a world I would classify as a living hell and I'm still here to tell about it. Unlike you I don't have any super powers that enable me to withstand damage that would destroy another human; I was forced to survive by sheer willpower and cunning. I came with you into _outer space_ to meet _aliens_ that for all I know could have been way different than the ones you and your mom described to me and on top of _all of that_ I'm the one who made the wish that's going to make Bulma's life a whole heck of a lot more enjoyable. Why would I _do that_ if I didn't think I would be here for the long haul? Can you answer that Trunks?"

They young Saiyan was surprised; he had never heard Erasa so snappy like that before. It was unnerving that this little petite human could actually render the most powerful being in the universe speechless.

"I, uh…I guess I see your point."

Erasa huffed. "You had better because if I didn't know any better I'd say you were trying to get rid of me Trunks Brief!"

"What? No not at all! I just know what it's like to lose people close to me and I don't want you to have to experience that."

If Trunks thought that he was going to smooth over the situation with those words he was wrong-oh so very wrong.

Erasa approached him silently with pure malice framing her normally stunning features. When she spoke, her voice was deadly calm. "Do you think you are the only one who has experienced loss in this world? Are you so stuck on yourself and your own personal experience that you think I _don't know what it's like to lose someone close to me?_" Her voice had dropped to a near whisper and Trunks was left flapping his tongue wildly.

"Wha-…I…not what I…"

"Do you think that because you may have had more contact with the androids than an ordinary person that the losses of others aren't of any consequence?"

Trunks regained his voice. "I never said that. If I didn't think that other people were of any consequence I wouldn't have wished them back."

But Erasa was not to be deterred. "Oh so it's all okay then just because you wished them all back? The suffering and agony they felt when they were at the point of death is irrelevant to the losses of _Super Trunks_ because they were reversed by some dragon balls? Are my losses irrelevant Trunks? Are they?!

"I watched my father and mother _and_ my little sister burn alive because of the androids! I saw as some of my best friends from childhood were crushed by falling buildings and swallowed up by energy beams! I thought for the longest time that my greatest and dearest friend was dead and just because I found out that she lived for a while longer with a man she truly loved before finally dying _for real_ doesn't mean that those thoughts didn't hurt me! And no it doesn't feel better that they're no longer dead! If anything it hurts even worse because I never had the hope that you did of one day bringing them back! So _don't_ act like you're the only one here who's experienced pain Trunks. And don't fool yourself into thinking that I need to be protected like I'm some frail little damsel; I'm just as much a survivor as you are and don't you ever forget that you selfish, arrogant jerk!"

Trunks was silent. Erasa stormed off into her room, not resurfacing until it was time to disembark. In the meantime, Trunks faced serious contemplation about what his girlfriend had just said. Sure she had overreacted and completely missed the point of Trunks' message. But it dawned on Trunks that he had been very selfish in thinking only of his own satisfaction at finally getting to use the dragon balls and in fact, never once did he ask Erasa how she would feel once earth's population was revived. He hadn't ever really even asked Erasa about her past; all their time was spent talking about _Trunks'_ life, _Trunks'_ adventures, _Trunks'_ pain, and _Trunks'_ vengeance. It could be said that Trunks was batting the same average as Yamcha in the boyfriend department.

But more than anything else Erasa had said (or screamed) it was her last words that had stung him the most: "You selfish, arrogant jerk!" Selfish and arrogant; the same words his mother had always used to describe his father both in his timeline and the past. Trunks had never even met his father from his own timeline and apparently he was acting just like him. Sure it was in a greatly reduced, almost inconsequential way when compared with his father's prototype, but to have his personality compared to that of the man who he had watched deliberately ignore his son and the mother of his child when Dr. Gero had nearly blown them out of the sky was a totally unacceptable circumstance.

Trunks decided he would apologize at the first opportunity; his Saiyan pride was not worth having the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on being angry with him. For the first time Trunks understood something Gohan had told him many years ago when he had first asked Videl to marry him: "Sometimes kiddo, you just got to take one on the chin and let the other person win. Chances are, if it's a woman you're arguing with, she's right anyway." He had been clueless at the time but Trunks could now see the wisdom of those words.

A half hour passed by very quickly and soon the twosome was ready to disembark after two weeks away from earth.

"Hey Erasa…"

"I do _not_ want to talk to you right now. Please don't waste your breath, I'm not interested."

If only Trunks had inherited a bit of patience. "I wasn't going to say anything mean; the least you could do is hear me out."

Erasa's eyes flared dangerously. "You do _not_ want to continue talking right now. Take a hint Trunks and leave me alone right now. We'll both be better off."

Trunks scowled. So this was how the happiest day of his life was going to be. The entrance hatch opened and the landing ramp descended slowly. In a significantly darker mood than either of them had intended, Erasa and Trunks walked down the ramp into the bright afternoon sunlight. The effect of their appearance was interesting. Trunks could recognize Yamcha, Krillin, Tien, Chaozou, and Piccolo as well as Master Roshi, Oolong, and Puar even though none of them recognized him. Scanning the surrounding area for several missing presences, Trunks discovered two more people including one that truly took him by surprise.

Vegeta was standing aloof from the rest of the group dressed in his standard Saiyan armor, identical to the set Trunks wore. His arms were folded tightly and the ever present scowl on his face was just that: ever present. However, standing on the left hand side of the group was a truly unexpected presence: The last World Martial Arts Champion and father of Son Videl: Hercule. Trunks had never met Hercule in his own timeline but had seen enough of him in the past to be very glad he didn't have to associate with him on a regular basis. Why on earth was he _here_ of all places?

Krillin was the first one who stepped forward, extending his hand as he did so.

"You must be Trunks. I haven't seen you since you were a baby but I've heard a lot about you; we've been expecting you. Welcome back. We can't thank you enough for beating those androids and bringing us back to life. Our lives are in your debt Trunks."

Krillin's smile was infectious and caused Trunk's scowl to break into a grin. "Thank you Krillin. I know you all don't know me but I know all of you. I was able to meet you all in a different timeline; I'm sure my mom probably told you about that."

Krillin chuckled. "Yeah we've heard all about your exploits in the past but I want to hear about the Cell Games form you first hand."

Trunks smiled. Krillin turned his attention to the beautiful blonde on Trunk's right. "And who is this? Your _girlfriend_ Trunks?" It was unnerving how, even though they had just met, there was a hint of jibe in Krillin's voice as if he and Trunks were old friends and it was only natural to tease him over his girlfriend.

"This is Erasa everyone, and yes she is my girlfriend. She's been very anxious to meet all of you so why don't you all introduce yourselves?" He neglected to mention that he and his girlfriend were not exactly on the best of terms at the moment.

Erasa was swarmed by everyone except for Vegeta, Piccolo, and Hercule, the latter of whom looked mildly confused as if he had seen Erasa somewhere before.

Trunks began to walk towards his father when he was stopped short by Piccolo. Looking up at his enormous frame Trunks could notice very tiny differences to Piccolo's features; they were sharper, harsher. Probably because he had not fused with Kami in this timeline. Piccolo lowered his gaze and gave the young Saiyan a very slight smile.

"I wanted to say thank you for your efforts Trunks. Your actions not only brought peace to our world but restored the dragon balls as well. We are all in your debt."

Trunks blushed slightly. "Thank you Piccolo. It was nothing; I was just doing what all of you had already done many times before." Piccolo inclined his head and moved away.

Trunks looked over towards his father but found that Vegeta was no longer present; he had disappeared. Before he could wonder where he had gone he felt an unnatural spike in a very familiar energy signal. Videl was inside and judging from that spike, she was in distress.

"Videl's inside at the infirmary" came Erasa's voice. "Her father just told me. Apparently Gohan and Videl established contact with him a few days ago. She's in labor; I'm going to go see her. You should come."

Trunks nodded. He had totally forgotten about the baby! He wasn't sure the dragon would even have revived a child in the womb but apparently it had. "Erasa I…"

"Not now" was her reply.

Trunks led the way silently to the infirmary with Erasa in tow. All sorts of thoughts were rushing through Erasa's mind right now. She was about to see her best friend for the first time in more than ten years and what was more, she was about to have a baby! Erasa wondered what it would be and what they would name it. And although she was still upset at Trunks she couldn't wait to see his reaction when he saw Gohan again. It all seemed too good to be true that all the death and destruction was really undone and that they were actually about to welcome another life into the world. Another addition to the Earth's Special Forces…

A knock at the door and Bulma's voice calling "Come in" braced Erasa for the impact she was about to receive. Slowly, the door was opened and Trunks walked in followed closely by an attractive blonde who looked very familiar to Videl.

"E-Erasa is that you? Oh, hey Trunks. Glad to see you again. Erasa…is that really you?"

Erasa walked slowly towards her best friend who was laid up on a hospital bed looking quite the bit worse for wear but still very attractive nonetheless. "Hey girl, it's me. How are you holding up?"

Videl smiled weakly. "I've felt better but I'm so happy Erasa. It's so great to see you again. Bulma told me that you survived and that you were dating Trunks. And I'm so happy to be alive again but…I really want this baby to come out!"

Erasa smiled sweetly. Turning to the man that she assumed must have been Gohan Erasa said "I suppose you're the one who put my Videl here?"

Gohan, who had been embracing Trunks tightly, looked over. "Um, well…yeah I guess I had something to do with it."

"Erasa" said Videl weakly.

"What's up sweetie?"

"You were right. That day when we were kids. You said that when the right guy came along I would know and I would drop all my inhibitions and just _live_. You were right. I'd like you to meet my husband, Gohan."

Erasa wiped tears from her eyes as she saw the love on the face of her very best friend who was not only alive but was about to become a mother.

Bulma came sweeping over and said "Videl sweetie, it's time. That little Saiyan baby is moving pretty quickly so I need you to get ready to push alright?"

Videl looked nervously towards Gohan who was by her side in a flash. "Gohan I'm scared. It hurts so much; what if I'm not strong enough? What if I'm not…"

She was cut off by Gohan who cupped his hands about her face and said very firmly "You are the strongest woman I know. Pretty soon the pain will be over and we'll be a family Videl, a real family. I'll be here the whole time."

"Thank you Gohan. I love you so much."

"I love you Videl. More than anything else."

Erasa and Trunks slipped out of the room silently to allow Videl and Gohan some privacy. "Do you think she'll be alright?" asked Erasa worriedly.

Trunks smiled slightly. "She'll be fine. My mom and Gohan won't let anything happen to her."

The two were quiet as they made their way back outside for the party.

Meanwhile, Bulma was commanding a sweat soaked Videl to push with all her might as she drove her nails into Gohan's chest with such force that even the half Saiyan found it uncomfortable.

"We're almost there Videl, it's crowning! Just a couple more pushes should do it."

Videl shot a death-like glare towards the blue haired woman. "How about _you_ do more pushes you old hag! Oh, I'm sorry Bulma! I didn't mean it…"

"Don't worry about that girl. But you have to push or that baby's never coming out of you; push Videl, just a little harder."

Videl pushed with all her might but still, the baby would not leave. "Gohan" she said, "Gohan help me. Can you tell me that story again? The one about how you first became a Super Saiyan?"

Gohan was taken aback at the request but was willing to do anything to help out his wife in this situation. "Sure. It was when I was fourteen years old. I had just gotten my backside demolished by the androids. They left without killing me so I woke up pretty surprised. It was almost like there was another person inside of me, screaming with rage while my outer body was shaking from exhaustion and hatred; I never knew another feeling like it. All the thoughts about losing my dad, Piccolo, and everyone close to me came flooding back and my inability to protect innocent people from the androids was eating me alive. Finally I just snapped and all that power came out. I had to push it up from a place I didn't even know exists. But when I did, when it finally came out, I was much happier. It was like something had been dying to escape from me for years and now it was free."

Videl listened intently with a new look of determination on her face. She was going to push that baby out with all her strength and then it would be over. "Thank you Gohan. Will you hold my hand?"

"Of course."

Turning to Bulma she said "I'm ready. Let's get this done."

Bulma smirked. "That's the spirit girl."

A full minute later, after an almighty push and many grunts of pain, relief. Videl barely registered the sound of the baby's cries as intoxicating relief spread throughout her body.

Gohan beamed with pride at Videl as Bulma took the newborn into her arms and made sure that everything was working properly. Turning to the anxious parents, Bulma carried the fragile child swaddled in cloths that had waited nearly ten years to be born and said in a tremulous voice: "You have a beautiful little girl."

Gohan's heart practically melted when he heard the word "girl" escape Bulma's lips. Videl's eyes welled with tears as she was handed the miracle child who should never have lived. "What will we call her?" she asked her husband. "What did we decide for a girl?"

Gohan looked upon the face of his daughter as she wept confusedly, trying desperately to understand where the warmth had gone and why everything was so bright. "I believe we were going to name a girl after your mother: Pan."

Videl gazed thoughtfully at the child who by now had latched its mouth to her chest. "Son Pan" she said. "I like it."

Bulma observed the situation teary eyed. She had first met Son Goku when she was 16 years old and they had gone on some of the most bizarre adventures of all time. As time passed they had amassed quite a group of misfits and delinquents and had all endured tremendous hardship and terror. But here she was today, restored to her youth by a selfless wish as she helped bring Goku's granddaughter into the world. Somehow it just seemed right. This is where she belonged.

Outside, a quiet Erasa and Trunks braced themselves for the festive atmosphere outdoors when they were cut off by a short but very powerful presence.

Vegeta glared icily at his son and his girlfriend as if sizing both of them up. Finally he said "You are my son." It was both a statement of fact and a question.

Trunks struggled to meet his father's gaze. "Yes. Yes I am."

Vegeta narrowed his eyes and slid them towards Erasa. "Who is this?" he asked.

"I'm Erasa. I'm Trunk's girlfriend. It's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Vegeta sir."

Vegeta was silent. Finally he said "I'm wondering where you came upon that absurd looking outfit. It looks as though the woman cobbled it together from memory and vile imagination."

Trunks answered "Well if by 'woman' you mean mom then you're right. Mom designed it for use in space. I think it suits Erasa quite well."

Vegeta remained silent. Finally, "You and I will meet tomorrow on the West side of the property. I want to learn more about this 'Ascended Saiyan' business."

Trunks offered his father the briefest smile. "Sure father; no problem."

Vegeta turned to walk away but stopped short. Without turning back to look at his son he said "I've been told you are quite the warrior. That's good. You will need all your talents in order to train with me."

Trunks smiled; coming from his father that was a great complement and an invitation to spend time together. Time that consisted of beating each other unconscious, but time nonetheless. Without another word Vegeta stalked off.

"Wow" said Erasa.

"Yeah, that's my dad. You'll get used to him eventually."

_"I sure hope so"_ Erasa thought.

As if reading her mind Trunks said confidently "You will. This is where we belong."

* * *

**Another Chapter! As always, those who left reviews, are following, or have favorited my story are greatly appreciated. Please continue by reviewing this chapter and offering feedback; it makes me write better (I think). Thanks a lot!**


	10. The World's Strongest

**A/N: Hi! The support I've received for this story is very encouraging considering it's my very first. Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read and especially those who have left comments. Anyway, ****_Hope_**** will be reaching its conclusion in about five chapters or so. And for those who wanted some Super Saiyan action this chapter is for you.**

* * *

**Chapter 10: The World's Strongest**

Erasa led the way back to the party, her anger at Trunks cooling somewhat after seeing Videl and meeting Trunk's father. As they reentered Capsule Corp.'s private grounds they found the rest of the group socializing amongst themselves and chowing down on some of Mrs. Brief's very best barbecue. As Trunks came into focus Krillin called out "Hey guys! Come join the party!"

Trunks looked sideways at his blonde partner. "Shall we?" he said.

"We might as well" came her response.

The greetings they had shared earlier were nowhere near enough; everyone wanted to meet the newcomers who weren't exactly newcomers at all (Erasa perhaps) and find out all the juicy details of Trunk's battles and adventures in the past. So for the next hour or so Trunks related in detail the important points from the death of most of the Z Fighters some 20 years earlier, through the battles he and Gohan had with the androids, Gohan's death, his trips to the past and the final battle with Cell. When he got to the part about his own death he made note that what he would tell them next he had gotten second hand.

"I actually died during that trip to the past. After Goku had sacrificed himself to defeat Cell we thought that it was over. Cell was nowhere to be found. Then before I knew it there was an energy blast shooting out of nowhere and it hit me square in the heart. It was the worst pain I ever felt…I don't remember anything after that; I died. Apparently Cell was able to regenerate himself using the cell's he received from Piccolo.

"I was told by that timeline's Yamcha that my father attacked Cell like a wild man after I was killed. But it wasn't enough. Eventually Cell fired up the biggest Kamehameha wave ever seen. His intent was to blow up the entire planet. But Gohan was able to counter and with a little help from all of us, including my dad, Gohan's Kamehameha swallowed up Cell's. And that's how Cell died. Oh I almost forgot" he said, turning to Hercule.

"You were there also. You tried to fight Cell on your own but you were severely outclassed; it's a wonder you weren't killed. But you did do something that ultimately led to victory. During the initial fight between Gohan and Cell Gohan was getting the beating of his life. But Android 16 who had already been blown up asked you to toss his head onto the battlefield so that Gohan could see it. When Cell crushed 16's head and smashed it into the ground it provided the spark Gohan needed to break down the barrier and become a Super Saiyan 2; after that, Cell was outclassed. Oh, and then after we all left you stole Gohan's credit for yourself and their whole world thinks you're the one who defeated Cell."

Everyone stared embarrassingly at Hercule while the man himself gulped and scratched his afro nervously. "Uh, well I…hey it wasn't _me_! It was me from another time right? So this me, I mean the _real me_ had nothing to do with it; I was already dead! Ha ha, huh, ha ha ha! Um…right?"

Piccolo merely rolled his eyes. "So while we're on the subject" he began, "it occurs to me that Trunks here is now the world's strongest, if not the universe's strongest warrior. How about a little demonstration of that power of yours?"

Vegeta, who had been eavesdropping from the sidelines suddenly perked up. Yes, a demonstration of his son's powers would be quite the thrill to see; especially since he too would soon obtain such strength. "Yes boy. Show us your Ascended Saiyan powers. Let's see if you're all talk or if you actually have the goods to back up your story."

Trunks smiled sheepishly but nodded. "Okay. I will but let's wait until after the party's over. We should fly out somewhere remote because the amount of energy I'm going to unleash will be too much for this place to handle." This piqued everyone's interest.

"Unbelievable" said Tien. "Is it really possible to possess so much power?"

Yamcha held his chin thoughtfully. "I'm not surprised at anything these Saiyans can do. And if Trunks was able to defeat a power like the androids then I'm sure his power is something beyond anything we've ever faced."

Just then, the door opened and all eyes wheeled to the man in the orange gi who was holding something small and wrapped in blankets in his arms.

"The baby!" Erasa squealed in delight.

"Alright!" yelled Krillin, Yamcha, and Tien.

"My-my grandbaby?" asked Hercule tremulously.

In seconds nearly everyone surrounded Gohan in order to get a better look at the newest addition to the Son family; only Piccolo and Vegeta remained aloof.

Trunks looked down at the smallest Saiyan and noted that beneath the little hood she wore to keep her head warm there were already tufts of black hair poking out. The baby itself was fast asleep.

"Congratulations Gohan" he said. "Is it a boy or a girl?"

"A girl" said Gohan proudly. "Her name is Pan, after Videl's mother."

Hercule sniffed. Pan…his wife was named Pan. And now his little girl had a little Pan of her own. His mustached lips quivered as he struggled to maintain his composure in front of all these freakishly powerful people. "Can I…can I hold her?" he asked.

Gohan smiled and handed Pan gently to her only living grandparent. Hercule reached for his granddaughter and stared in amazement at what this man and his daughter had created. She was so beautiful, just like her mother and grandmother. Pan slept peacefully, oblivious to all the attention being heaped upon her.

"She's so adorable" Erasa moaned. "How's Videl holding up?" she asked.

"Videl's fine" said Gohan. "She's resting now. You can go see her again in a bit." Erasa nodded tearfully.

A large, looming presence cast his shadow upon the sleeping newborn. Gohan smiled. "Would you like to hold her Piccolo?" The Namekian shook his head.

"No, this view is fine, thanks."

Soon Hercule was being pressured to give her up; everybody wanted a chance to hold Gohan's daughter, Goku's granddaughter. It was so bizarre to think that in their minds, though twenty years had passed, their most recent memories of Gohan were as a little boy. That they were now holding his child was a little strange to them.

"Kind of puts it into perspective how long we've been gone huh?" said Krillin.

"You're not kidding man" said Yamcha.

After everyone, including Master Roshi, had an opportunity to hold Pan Mrs. Brief made to give her back to Gohan. But Vegeta stuck out his arm.

Gohan was surprised. "Vegeta?" he asked uncertainly.

The Saiyan prince glared menacingly at Gohan. "There are only four Saiyans left; it is only proper that the child be examined by her prince." Well that was a surprise. Vegeta wanted to hold Pan?

Mrs. Brief smiled obliviously as she handed the small child to that "darling Mr. Vegeta."

The stoic prince held the child delicately, aware of the fragile nature of the young. His hard features remained impassive as he surveyed the second generation offspring of his greatest rival. After a few seconds he handed her off to Gohan with the words "I find no defect."

From an upstairs window Bulma Brief watched the scene play out below and smiled in triumph as she saw Vegeta take the child into his arms. The arrogant jerk could make all the excuses he wanted but there was no denying it: Vegeta was a sucker for babies.

xXx

Hours had passed since Trunk's and Erasa's triumphant arrival. Pan, Videl, Erasa, and Hercule were together with Bulma doing who knows what. Meanwhile, the Z Fighters were assembled on a small uninhabited island a few miles from West City. They all (including Gohan) had assembled for a front row ticket to what they hoped would be the greatest display of Saiyan power of all time…at least in _their_ timeline.

Tien, Yamcha, and Krillin each leaned casually against a palm tree while Gohan, Vegeta, and Piccolo stood attentive as if this was a very interesting lesson that they soon would be expected to demonstrate. Trunks was separate from them all, standing in front of them in preparation for his demonstration.

"Gohan, father, it might be best if the two of you transformed into Super Saiyans right now. That way you'll have an easier time keeping up with my energy. The rest of you…well, I don't know the nicest way to say this but you may actually want to move back a ways...like into the air. Your counterparts in the past were a lot stronger than you since they'd received three years warning about the androids; they were better equipped to handle a power like mine."

Yamcha brushed him off. "No way! It's not like we haven't all been in the presence of a Super Saiyan before. An Ascended Saiyan can't be _that_ much different. We'll be fine!"

"Yamcha show some sense!" yelled Piccolo. "Trunks knows what he's talking about; he's experienced this kind of energy before. And don't forget that his power was great enough to blow those androids to smithereens. The same androids that handed you your carcass on a silver platter! So don't underestimate him or overestimate yourself!"

The scar faced warrior blanched. "Get real Piccolo!"

But it was Vegeta who brought order to the situation. "Be quiet weakling! Your constant jabbering was one thing I didn't miss in the grave; do as the boy says and scram! He is _my son_ after all." Vegeta took special care to place the emphasis on the words 'my son' just to remind Yamcha, who he had never liked in the first place, that Bulma had chosen the Saiyan prince over himself.

"Let's go Yamcha" said Tien.

Finally, after a few more moments of sputtering and anger Yamcha elevated into the air along with Tien and Krillin. Piccolo however, chose merely to raise himself a few inches from the ground; he was the strongest of them all after the Saiyans at least.

Both Vegeta and Gohan powered up to Super Saiyan mode, Vegeta's transformation taking somewhat longer than Gohan's.

_"Curse that brat's longevity"_ thought Vegeta. _"Everyone knows I became a Super Saiyan before him. No matter. Once I ascend to the next level I will take my place as the Prince of all Saiyans once again."_

"Everyone ready?" called Trunks.

"Ready!" they said. Vegeta grunted.

Trunks inhaled deeply. Then…

"HAAA!"

The wind kicked up mightily. Dust and debris zipped through the air as Trunks made the jump to Super Saiyan in a flash. Next, his muscles began to tremble and the very air around them turned static. Trunk's feet embedded themselves in the ground as rocks began to be pulled up form their place.

Lightning of a brilliant blue zapped in and out of focus, surrounding the young Saiyan as the onlookers stared in awe of a power only Vegeta and Gohan could even come close to comprehending.

"His energy is mindboggling!" shouted Piccolo, more to himself than anyone else.

"Oh man! What power!"

"You've got to be kidding me!"

"Okay I take it back; the air's a good place to be!"

The other two Saiyans were silent but each struggled to get a good feel on just what it would mean to possess all that power. Gohan looked on quietly with a mixture of pride and awe on his face.

_"I can't believe how strong Trunks has become. It seems unreal that this is the same boy I had to spend thirteen years protecting. Now if anyone else tries to harm our planet I think it'll be me running to him."_

Trunk's features sharpened as he let out a mighty cry. "HAAAA!"

He stood before them glowing brilliantly, his golden hair slightly spikier than they were used to. Each person gazed at Trunks as if they had never seen him properly before. This newfound power, finally witnessed, was beyond anything they had ever dared think possible; no wonder the androids were beaten! Those who were airborne made to return but Trunks called out "No, stay put. This is just the introduction."

"What?!" was the unified cry.

Vegeta stood transfixed. Had he missed something? During all those years he had gone over the Super Saiyan legend in his head he had never known there was something beyond, never dreamed there could be a being more powerful than a Super Saiyan. After learning that Kakkarot had defeated Frieza after breaking the barrier, he had assumed that his earlier assumptions were correct (lesson learned: Never assume anything about assumptions); that there was no greater being than a Super Saiyan. Now he could see for sure that all his assumptions were incorrect. And what was this about an introduction? The boy couldn't possibly have more energy?

Again Trunks let out a fierce cry and this time the whole island shook with his power. Birds took to the heights and coconuts feel off of trees. The water was coming up in waves, sprinkling everyone with a mist. Trunk's muscles began to bulge, the veins in his head showing. Shocks of electricity rent the air surrounding them, sending currents through their flesh. The energy swelled to near inconceivable proportions as Trunks finished his power-up, panting slightly, sweat beading his brow.

The six observers gaped in amazement as a totally different person stood before them. At least it seemed that way. The muscle bound, hulking mass of a Super Saiyan hardly resembled the quiet, slightly shy lavender haired boy who had greeted them today. Intermittent sparks of electricity flashed around his body as he burnished steadily like some Adonis.

Trunks smirked. "Well guys, what do you think?"

Silence. And then…

"Unreal Trunks" was Gohan's reply. "I'm so proud of you. You've taken everything I've taught you and brought it to a whole new level of amazing."

The three humans had been stunned into silence. So Piccolo remarked "Well…I guess I see how the androids were destroyed. Inconceivable."

Vegeta took it all in: The sight, the power, the vibe, the fact that this was _his son_. But in his sharp, expert analysis he spotted a major deficit in Trunk's form. But he wouldn't expose it just yet.

"So then, is this more muscular form what you called Super Saiyan 2?"

Trunks shook his head. "No. I'm afraid I haven't yet reached that level. No this is what we call a Full Power Ascended Super Saiyan. It 's quite a mouthful but we really didn't know what else to call it."

Vegeta nodded curtly. "Your power is something to be admired. But there is a major weakness in this form, something that could very easily be your undoing against the wrong opponent."

Nearly everyone else looked at Vegeta as if he was nuts but Gohan honed in on Trunks and instantly spotted it as well. Trunks simply smirked.

"Your bulging muscles add to your power…but they will slow you down. I wouldn't swap decreased speed for additional raw power any day of the week. You would be much better off in the initial Ascended form you showed us."

Trunks nodded his assent. "Yes, you're right. That's what you decided in the past as well. You had the ability to reach this level but you purposely declined; you knew it would slow you down. And that was my undoing. It's what got me beaten when I faced Cell one on one."

xXx

_"The Androids had come out of nowhere. Everywhere Videl turned there were people running, children screaming, and buildings collapsing. To make matters worse it had started to rain. The only bright spot was that there was really no one left that she cared about, no one left to lose; except herself. Her only solace since her father's death had been Erasa but it had been over a year since they had been separated and she could be anywhere. In a far away city, living underground, or dead. In some ways it seemed that death was preferable._

_If Videl died right here then she would no longer have to cope with the constant terror, the daily panic that sets in at a sudden noise, an unfamiliar sight. Anything and everything not absolutely vetted and analyzed completely was a potential threat, a possible hit by the androids. And yet even though her brain told her that a quick death might be preferable to living a life of fear and confusion her body told her with every fiber of its being that she must run away, fast._

_A beam of light passed barely a foot from her face and blew up a car packed with a fleeing family. Videl's heart threatened to burst from its cavity for fear and she let out a very un-  
Videl-like scream. From above she heard the cool, callous laughing that she had come to associate with the demonic duo. It was unbelievable that the two instruments of terror that would surely bode the end of the human race were created by one of their own._

_"Hey 18, I think I recognize that one! Yes, the girl down there in the blue shirt; I think we've met her before." By "met" the android meant that Videl had somehow escaped from them in the past. But somehow he felt that today would be different._

_"She doesn't look any more remarkable than any other of these ugly human females. I think you're just getting lonely 17."_

_"Come on sis. Let's go have some fun."_

_The two sent blasts all around Videl's vicinity in a circular form. By design they purposely missed Videl but kept her trapped in a circle surrounded by flames that encased her in a wall of heat._

_The two androids landed on either side of the young beauty, impervious to the heat of the flames. Well this sucked. Videl was hoping for a quick death. But when the androids isolated a person and singled them out it usually meant that the monsters were going to play awhile with their food. Still, the daughter of the last World Martial Art's Champion was not going to go down without a fight; even if the fight was futile._

_"My my, look what we've got here 18. Such a fresh faced little human. I always do like them tender." The male android set his eyes straight on her breasts which were more visible now that her clothes were soaked._

_Ugh, what a freak! Videl had faced danger in many ways before, being the youngest member of her Father's famous dojo, but somehow the danger of being raped by a machine had never really crossed her mind. She wondered whether it was worth it to hop into the flames and burn to death rather than endure the pain and humiliation of a sexual assault and then death. The female android had begun to speak._

_"Honestly, I don't know what you see in them. They have about as much appeal as a sick pig."_

_But 17 wasn't listening. He was taking slow steps towards his prey, pulling out a knife and blowing on it. Videl readied herself; her body simply would not let her become a victim even though she had absolutely no control over the situation._

_"I'll bet you're probably wondering how I'm going to break you. You see, I'm a very simple guy. I'm very into the straightforward approach."_

_The android made a sudden thrust for her throat but missed. Why? A flash of gold swept Videl out of the circle of flame and deposited her on the remains of a stone monument. Videl's heart leaped: The Golden Fighter!_

_Seventeen and Eighteen narrowed their eyes in displeasure; how many more times was he going to stick his nose in their business?_

_"You know you're getting to be a real pest. And you know what we do to pests? Exterminate them."_

_The Golden Fighter merely smirked. "Did you come up with that one yourself? Or did your sister pitch that one to you? I get the feeling she's probably the smarter of the two of you."_

_Eighteen smirked as well. "Maybe he's not as stupid as we thought."_

_Seventeen however, was not pleased. "I was in the middle of something you rude, rude man. Didn't your mother ever teach you not to interrupt your superiors?"_

_Gohan's answer was to fire up his aura and launch into an attack against the male android. A furious combo of punches, forearms, and kicks were parried by 17 although not with as much ease as the android had become accustomed to. Gohan continued his barrage, mixing it up expertly as 17's face contorted into a snarl._

_"So it looks like you've actually grown some talent since I beat you last!"_

_"And it looks like you're just as heartless and cruel as you were before" said Gohan. "Why can't you just leave people alone? What did these people ever do to you? Nothing! It's all just a part of your sick game; but no game can last forever. One day someone's going to beat you and I hope with all my soul that it's me!"_

_"Look out!" came a shout from behind and Gohan turned quickly to avoid a kick from 18. Videl watched the battle fearfully. She was equally astonished that there was anyone who could do that kind of battle with the androids and terrified that the Golden Fighter, whom she had met more than once before, would ultimately lose. He couldn't lose; if he lost that meant that she would lose._

_"Thanks for the warning!" the golden man shouted as he struggled to keep up against both androids._

_Seventeen fired a red energy blast at Gohan which 18 followed up with a yellow one of her own. Gohan dodged them both and then yelled "Kamehameha!" He knew the Kamehameha wave could only hit one of them but he was counting on that. Seventeen was caught unawares and failed to adequately cover up before he was engulfed in the blue wave. _

_"Seventeen!" yelled the female._

_"Your turn!" shouted Gohan. _

_The female android turned surprised as Gohan was right in her face with a double handful of energy beams which he unceremoniously fired right into her face._

_"Aahh!" she yelled._

_The Golden Fighter was at Videl's side in a flash. "Get down and close your eyes tight. I'm going to get us out of here." Videl did as she was told, willing to trust this man she didn't even know. He had a calming air about him and his demeanor was sweet despite the horrific circumstances._

_And then his voice was heard from above as he shouted "Solar Flare!" Anguished screams came from the androids and before she knew it Videl was swept up bridal style as they launched into the air. After about ten seconds the golden man said "It's okay to open your eyes now."_

_Videl's eyes opened tentatively as she took in her surroundings. She was airborne being cradled in the massive arms of this mysterious man who had just saved her life for what might have been the sixth time. She didn't know what to say._

_"Thank you" she decided on. "Thank you so much. I can never repay you; you just saved my life again. You always seem to show up at just the right time. You're…you're really special."_

_Gohan smiled slightly but remained silent. After some minutes Videl felt curious; where was he taking her? She felt at ease with this guy but still, she had just nearly become a rape victim. It wouldn't do for her to be in the dark about where some strange man was taking her. _

_"Excuse me; where are you taking me?"_

_For the first time since the battle the golden man spoke. "Somewhere safe. Somewhere out of the reach of the androids. My place isn't necessarily android proof but it's the closest thing I know of." Suddenly Gohan noticed a series of burns on her neck._

_"You're hurt" he said. _

_Videl looked at him and then touched her neck where she saw his eyes were fixed. Yes, there were some very tender marks there; probably embers spit out form the fire. She knew that wasn't all that was wrong with her. About a month ago she had developed a cough that hadn't ever gone away. She could feel the fluid bubbling in her lungs as she laid down every night but she had been unable to seek adequate medical care._

_"Yeah, I've felt better. I haven't been the healthiest person the last few weeks. But there hasn't been a doctor I can go see."_

_Gohan understood. "Don't worry. I know someone who can check you out and make you as good as new."_

_She was taken aback by this guy's friendliness. There haven't been many people she could trust the last few years. "I…thank you; I mean…you don't have to…"_

_"Don't worry about it. It'll be nice to have someone my age to talk to for a while; it gets kind of lonely all by myself. My name's Gohan by the way; Son Gohan."_

_"My name's Videl. You don't have any family?"_

_Gohan's face darkened for a moment. "I had a number of friends that were like my family but they're all dead; androids. My closest friends now are a woman named Bulma who's a lot older than me and her son Trunks who's still a kid. I don't have anybody else."_

_Videl felt tremendous compassion for Gohan; she wished there was something she could do for this selfless person who had risked his life on her behalf more times than she could be sure were accurate. _

_"Well I'll stick around for a while if you want; I'd love to meet your friends and get to know you better. Maybe you could even train me a bit! You're an amazing fighter."_

_Gohan grinned. "Hmm, we'll see."_

xXx

Videl stopped speaking as she stroked the soft face of her newborn. She had just spent the last half an hour explaining to Erasa just how she had come to know Son Gohan, how she had met him properly for the first time.

"Wow" breathed Erasa. "Oh Videl, you're so brave. I don't know what I would have done in that situation. It's so good Gohan was there to save you!"

Videl smiled. Yes it was good. And now that that nightmare was over she could finally enjoy the life with him that she had always wanted. Just him, her, and their daughter alone in their little secluded house in the mountains. Of course people would come over sometimes but more than anything Videl was looking forward to the day when they could move out of Capsule Corp. and start their _real_ life together.

xXx

Vegeta was locked in fierce combat with Trunks. The moment Trunk's demonstration had ended the prince demanded a spar. Trunks didn't think it was the best idea but there was no talking down his father, especially as he was determined to ascend now himself. And Vegeta was not known for subtlety; rather than ease himself into training Vegeta would rather jump in headfirst to the most difficult training imaginable.

The two men of gold clashed, father and son, as the others watched. Vegeta was definitely on the losing end of this spar but he was holding his own reasonably well for a guy who was severely outclassed. Vegeta sent his fist flying towards Trunk's mouth but Trunks quickly flipped out of the way and sent a drilling elbow at his father's chin.

Spitting out blood the cocky prince flared his energy up and launched a barrage of attacks designed to throw Trunks off balance. Perhaps this might have worked on Gohan but Trunks was now so far above their level that his attempt was nearly laughable. Trunks landed two blows on his father's stomach and landed a vicious head butt that Vegeta was sure he'd feel for the next three days.

Stumbling, the older Saiyan fought to keep his balance but was knocked off balance by a chop to his knees. Collapsing on the ground Vegeta snarled with rage. He sent a fist flying in the general direction of his son but he knew from the beginning that it was no good; that head butt had disoriented him. Vegeta was seeing double and this left Trunks an easy advantage. Flaring up, Trunks sent a hard fist into Vegeta's stomach and then slapped him aside so that he landed face first in the dirt. The flame haired Saiyan lost the gold hue in his hair; he descended back into his base form.

Gohan was impressed. "That was remarkable Trunks. I'm looking forward to some one on one training."

Trunks smiled. "No problem. But you might be a little busy changing diapers don't you think?"

Gohan took the comment in stride. "Maybe. But at least I know how to keep my wife happy. Last I heard _you_ were in some serious trouble with your girlfriend."

Krillin and Yamcha could be heard snickering; even Tien was smirking slightly.

"That's what you heard huh? Well you can't blame me entirely; she just went psycho on me."

Gohan grinned cheekily in a manner more reminiscent of Bulma than anyone else. "I told you before Trunks: Sometimes, it's just best to let them win."

For the next fifteen minutes the group flew back to Capsule Corp. with the battered Vegeta bringing up the rear.

When they arrived at the mansion they separated into smaller groups. Krillin and Yamcha went to tap the keg with Master Roshi, Tien and Piccolo engaged in a terse conversation about training, Vegeta stalked off to the showers, leaving Gohan and Trunks together to seek out their respective females.

It was odd how things had changed. Trunks was now just a couple years younger than Gohan and much stronger even though he still felt as though Gohan were the superior fighter. He didn't think he'd ever get used to the idea of being in the driver's seat as far as training was concerned. As far as he was concerned, Gohan was his master and that was that.

Gohan sensed the tangled thoughts of his former pupil and smiled. This was familiar territory: Trunks being confused, Gohan helping him figure it all out.

"How does it feel to be the strongest Trunks?"

Trunks flushed slightly. "Umm, it's really no big deal. If anything it just adds more responsibility to my plate. Should anything come up I'm the one everybody will depend on. It's sort of surreal."

Gohan nodded. "Things will never be the same now that we're all back. There's definitely going to be some competing ego's; I don't envy you for having your dad around here. He's going to be a handful. But I think you'll find it energizing. And besides, if he gets out of line you can always just knock him out." The pair laughed good naturedly at Vegeta's expense.

"Hey Gohan, can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

Trunks hesitated. How should he put this? "Well" he began, "Do you think it'll make us stronger? Now that everyone's back, now that you have a daughter, and I have a …a girlfriend" he said that last word a little embarrassed.

"Do you think the need to protect them all will make us better?"

Gohan considered him thoughtfully. "I don't know. That's what I always thought made my dad so good; his absolute obsession with protecting everybody. But I think what we've learned is that you can't protect everybody all the time. There will be some losses in the future. We don't know who, when, or where but it's certain to happen. We shouldn't just use our loved ones as incentives to get stronger. We should use our loved ones for just that: Loving them. Because if we spend all our time worrying about the next threat that might affect them we'll drive ourselves insane with worry.

"Trunks, I don't know what the future holds. But I do know you can't protect everybody. Look at my dad. He tried to protect everybody and he was the best at it; but in the end he couldn't even protect himself. Love your family, love your friends. Fight for them, die for them even. But make sure that when you're with them you recognize that moment for what it is and not just treat it as something fleeting that will pass as soon as the next threat arrives. If you live like that you'll never be happy and you'll end up like exactly one person: Vegeta. Why do you think your father is the way he is?"

Trunks was taken aback at such a question.

"It's because he was scared" continued Gohan. "Scared to lose the one's he loved. Scared because the fate of an entire race was put on his shoulders when he was barely old enough to understand what it meant. Your dad lived nearly his entire childhood worried about what would happen to his father and others he cared for if he didn't do his part to protect them from Frieza's wrath. Well that's no way to live. And what does Vegeta have to show for all that worry? Power? Yes. Pride? Sure. But deep down inside your father is a wounded and fragile man. If he had just been able to enjoy the moment with his loved ones it's possible he could've coped a whole lot better than he did. I'm not blaming him, not saying it's his fault; he was forced to carry burdens no child should have to carry. I know; I carried similar ones when I was that age. And so have you.

"Love everyone Trunks. Love your mother, your father, and your girlfriend. Love your friends, the earth, and life and you'll do okay. I have the utmost confidence in you Trunks. But you've got to live in the moment and not worry about what tomorrow will bring. Yes we'll train and we'll prepare for it; but it can't consume us. That's what happened to your dad; don't let it happen to you too. And remember, everyone's got to love something; even the world's strongest."

With that, Gohan continued the walk to the maternity ward leaving Trunks to ponder his master's words. He certainly hadn't expected Gohan to say all that when he'd asked that question. He'd thought it had been a very simple question. But the more he thought about it the more it seemed to make sense. Here was a guy like Gohan who as far back as Trunks could remember had always lived in the moment, enjoying everything life offered him even during the dark times. And look what happened. The guy was brought back to life, reunited with his wife, had a baby, and was more contentedly happy than any time Trunks had ever seen him.

Meanwhile his father, who, at least as Gohan told it (and he'd heard some similar snippets from his mother), had never learned to just enjoy life for what it was, was in almost the same boat as Gohan: Was back from the dead, had a son to get to know, and a woman who had her age reversed specifically for the occasion and the most important thing on his mind was getting stronger and reaching new levels of power, paranoid that some new threat would rise out of the shadows to consume him one day. Trunks thought about it and knew that Gohan was right; that was no way of living.

So from now on Trunks was resolved to enjoy everything life threw at him to the best of his ability. Every relationship he had he would cherish and they would become his motivation in protecting them; but they would not consume his fears. Yup, there was a reason Gohan would continue to be the master in their relationship. Trunks may be the world's strongest, but as far as he was concerned, Son Gohan was the world's wisest.

* * *

**A/N: I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I put a lot of effort into this one. It got a little lovey-dovey towards the end but hey that is the point of this fic. I know the whole Full Power Ascended Super Saiyan thing was probably a bunch of crap but I haven't watched the Cell Saga in years so I don't remember the details.**

**A couple people didn't like that Erasa blew up at Trunks last chapter, thought it was OOC. Maybe. But in her mind she was right and I think she deserves to be a little upset. She'll get over it.**

**Let me know what ya'll think. Please Read and Review! Oh and if I can get more than five reviews for this chapter I'll tell you the really awful thing I was planning on having Vegeta do that I scrapped last minute. Review if you're interested.**


	11. The Heart I Thought He Had

**A/N: A shorter chapter this time around. Many thanks to those who've taken the time to read and review. I've noticed that not nearly as many people review as do favorite or follow the story. I wonder why that is. Reviews mean the world to me guys; they're encouraging and they sometimes offer really good insight. So please Read ****_And_**** Review!**

* * *

**Chapter 11: The Heart I Thought He Had**

_There never seems to be enough time_

_To do the things you want to do_

_Once you find them_

How? It was the one question that continued to plague Vegeta's mind; the one word that gnawed the edges of his sanity. How? How did Kakkarot achieve the level of Super Saiyan so effortlessly, naturally while he, Vegeta, died a miserable death in the dirt begging Kakkarot for vengeance like some helpless child? How did Gohan survive over a decade of battles with the androids when the Saiyan prince was killed during his first encounter? How did Trunks achieve a power so great it was still difficult for Vegeta to fully comprehend its meaning or purpose? How?

It was maddening; a disease of his Saiyan pride to see just how far behind Vegeta had fallen. Kakkarot's brat had perfected his Super Saiyan form during the long years of battle and training and seemed to be poised to crack the barrier to the next level any day now. And yet even now, a full month after training had commenced, the former Prince of all Saiyans was no nearer to ascending than he had been when he first learned that it was possible. Oh sure, his power had increased and he was having a much easier time controlling the Super Saiyan form but compared with Trunks and even with Gohan, Vegeta was a lightweight, an amateur. Trunks!

How ironic that the prince's throne has been usurped by none other than his own son. And how frustrating that the boy didn't even acknowledge, didn't even seem to care, that he had stolen his father's honor. And at the rate things were going it looked as if Gohan would step in and crown himself prince at any given moment; such was the honor Trunks bestowed upon him. Yes, how frustrating that his son, _his own son_, walked around like a puppy with its master practically worshipping the ground Kakkarot's spawn walked on! It was enough to make him sick! But apparently, not enough to make him ascend.

So Vegeta continued to lock himself in the gravity room every single day for hours on end. He pushed his body to its limits and beyond every single time without letup. He had to; he must break free, he must ascend. Break free? Free from what? What exactly did Vegeta need to be free of? Frieza? No. The tyrant lizard had long since been relegated to the pits of triviality by the three surviving Super Saiyans. Kakkarot? No, for even his greatest rival had proven that he wasn't invincible, swallowed up by death over twenty years ago. What then? What could it be that Vegeta felt so maddeningly driven to free himself from?

Another question to plague his mind then. And then it hit him. It hit him one day so sharply, so obviously that Vegeta felt foolish that he had overlooked it before.

xXx

"Gohan, Pan's crying! Can you please get her bottle?"

"Absolutely!"

The air was abuzz with energy. Not fighting energy, but energy of a different sort. The kind of energy that set the heart apace, that simultaneously terrified you at what was coming next and exhilarated you as you rose to meet the challenge. This was the energy of parenthood.

Gohan swept into his daughter's room and swooped up the tiniest Saiyan in a flash, holding her gently and stroking her before offering the soft bottle top to her mouth. No good. Apparently Pan hadn't taken too well to the transition from breastfeeding to bottle feeding. The little girl continued to cry and cry convinced that the world had truly abandoned her. It wasn't as though her mother was trying to hurt her on purpose. The simple fact was that Saiyan babies do _not_ have baby appetites and Videl was quite literally drained.

So Gohan took on the challenge of world's greatest dad and decided to try a new tactic.

"Oh okay, so you don't like your bottle huh?" The girl continued to cry.

"I guess not. Let's see…do you want to be an airplane? Do you even know what an airplane is?" Pan sniffed at her father sadly as if he were asking something of her that she simply could not respond to. Because after all, she couldn't; she was just a baby.

"How about we try this little one…you're… a Super Saiyan!"

So they went about zooming through the air, Pan's arms outstretched as she lie in the firm grip of her father feeling incredibly powerful as her daddy caused her to move through the air with precision and grace, never staying in one place too long. She giggled happily and laughed triumphantly as her mind leapt from that awful bottle and onto more wonderful thoughts. Like birds, and the sky; things that Pan could remember even if she wasn't yet able to associate a name with a picture.

"Uh-oh Pan, look! It's Frieza! Better show him who's boss."

Pan screwed her face up in concentration. She didn't know what a Frieza was but she had come to associate the sound of that word with bad things and so Pan stuck out her little tongue at the imaginary Frieza which inhabited an area somewhere near the closet.

"Look, you've got him on the run! Time to finish him off. Pan, use your Super Saiyan powers. Ready? Say 'Ka-me-ha-me'…"

She was ready. "Ha!" she said, blowing a tremendous raspberry as the imaginary Frieza disintegrated into nothingness.

"Very good sweetheart, you did it! Now how about you let me feed you huh?"

Pan laughed at her daddy, unsure of why; it just felt good. So while the little one had her eyes closed, laughing her head off, Gohan seized the opportunity to place the bottle in her mouth. She opened her eyes quickly, unsure if what had just happened amounted to betrayal or not. But Gohan was smiling at her with such kindness and warmth that it was impossible for Pan to harbor any resentment towards him. So she took the bottle in her hands and commenced to draining it.

Gohan walked into the kitchen where Videl was sitting down reading one of Bulma's books on early parenting. When she noticed Gohan standing in the doorway with a quiet Pan cradled in his arms suckling happily away at her bottle Videl nearly fainted.

"How did you get her to do that?" she asked in astonishment. She had tried to get Pan to use that bottle unsuccessfully for three days!

"Oh it was easy. Pan just needed to burn off some energy first so we played a game of Super Saiyan. I had her beat Frieza and she worked up quite an appetite."

Videl continued to stare in amazement at her husband and daughter. This past month had been like something out of a dream. She had almost never dared to imagine such a quiet, peaceful life with her family out here in the mountains during the androids. But now here they were together, whole and happy, the way things were supposed to be.

She smiled as she took in the sight. "You both look precious together. I'm kind of jealous."

Gohan smirked slightly because he knew what she meant. Pan loved her mother no doubt but he had a sort of bond with his daughter that was really special. Pan would almost never quiet down for anyone other than Gohan and Gohan would never be completely at peace unless he knew that Pan was satisfied. Last week Videl walked in on Gohan actually sleeping with Pan inside her crib while Pan laid flat on her stomach on top of his chest with her arms stretched out to either side. He told her it was the only thing that would get her to stop crying.

"Don't worry. As soon as she's done this bottle I'm going to put her down for a nap. Then we can have some time for ourselves" said Gohan.

Videl smirked seductively. "Oh my, you mean just me and you? Well that's a treat. Hey Gohan" she said drawing close to her husband and placing her hands on his chest. She leaned up to stand on her toes as she purred into his ear "You know we really haven't enjoyed any time alone since before Pan was born. And now that she'll be asleep for a while, what do you say we…"

It doesn't take a genius to know what Videl said next and Gohan, being the genius that he is, caught on very quickly. Soon Pan was to put to bed and husband and wife spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying the master bedroom.

xXx

Back at Capsule Corp. Trunks was snapping on his gloves as he prepared for one final trip to the past to tell the others the good news about his timeline. Erasa wanted to come with him but unfortunately the time machine seats only one.

"I'm sorry Erasa but that's the way my mom designed it. I won't be gone long and I'll make sure to tell you all about it when I get back."

Erasa pouted. "Oh Trunks I wish I could go! I mean we're supposed to be doing everything together. I've been dying for another adventure since we came back to earth! Just sitting around here with nothing to do is really getting to me!"

It was true. During the past month Erasa had grown extremely restless. After all, the last twenty-plus years had been anything but boring. First she was running for her life from the androids then she was swept up with the rest of the survivors in the euphoria that followed Trunk's ultimate victory. Next was the whirlwind relationship with the victor himself which led to a mission on an alien planet and wishes on those crazy dragon balls followed by a return trip to earth, meeting the revived Z Warriors and all the other people who had been wished back to life, being reunited with Videl, seeing Videl's daughter, and finally getting her own bedroom in Capsule Corp. After all of that, the last several weeks had been rather bland.

Still, there was nothing she could do about going to the past with Trunks. There simply was no way she could accompany him. So she was forced to kick around the house and find something else to occupy her time.

Bulma smiled knowingly at what she hoped was her future daughter-in-law. Bulma liked Erasa and especially since finding out that it was Erasa who made the wish to restore Bulma's youth, Bulma was extremely warm towards her son's girlfriend.

"Don't worry 'Rase, we'll find something else to occupy our time with until Trunks gets back. Actually, I've been meaning to start my next project for a few days now but I've been putting it off. Maybe you could help me."

Erasa brightened for a moment but then her face fell. Any project Bulma was contemplating was likely extremely complicated and Erasa was not the scientific or mathematic type.

"Don't worry" said Bulma, "I'm not going to make you help me rebuild the global economy, although that is part of my job now. Actually, I was hoping you'd help me find the dragon balls."

Curiosity etched itself into Erasa's features. "The dragon balls? Did they come back with everybody else?"

"Well, a very particular somebody else. Piccolo. When Piccolo was revived Kami came back as well because Kami and Piccolo are actually the same person divided in two. Kami created the dragon balls so now that he's back the dragon balls have returned as well. We only have one wish on these dragon balls so I was thinking that I should let you use them since you were so generous in your wish back on Namek. Besides, you can't be officially considered part of the gang until you meet Shenron. So what do you say?"

Erasa was speechless. A whole wish just for her? Wow this was too good to be true. Trunks apparently thought so too.

"Mother, are you sure you want to use the dragon balls right now? I mean, why have we protected the dragon balls all this time? Wasn't it because we didn't want people to waste Shenron's power on petty wishes? We don't have any real need to use the dragon balls right now; so why use them?"

Trunk's words stung somehow. There was no malice intended but Bulma couldn't help but feel her son's disappointment.

"Trunks, I understand where you're coming from but let's face it, none of our intent's on finding the dragon balls has always been completely pure. I mean, when I was 16 I wanted to make a wish simply to have a perfect boyfriend and your father wanted to use them to gain immortality. And don't even get me started on those perverts Roshi and Oolong! I don't think letting Erasa use a wish just this once for her own personal gain will do any harm. After all, if it wasn't for her I would still be an old woman right now!"

Erasa however, was on Trunks' side. "No Bulma actually, I agree with Trunks."

"What?"

"Yeah. I mean Trunks told me all about the dragon balls while we were in space and I get what he's saying. It doesn't seem fair to me that we should be able to access them any time we want while everybody else on earth is blind to their existence. I would feel much more pure if I knew that I was able to resist the temptation to use them blindly just because I could. So I appreciate the offer but no thanks. Using the dragon balls like that is just not my style."

Well that was surprising. Who knew Erasa was so selfless?

"Wow Erasa I…I don't know what to say to that. Okay then, I guess we'll scratch that idea. In that case I really don't what to say. I was hoping that finding the dragon balls would occupy our time until Trunks returned but…we'll have to find something else to do."

Erasa smiled. "Don't worry mamma, we'll figure something out!"

Both Trunks and Bulma smiled at her brightness. But lurking in the hallway there was someone else who wasn't smiling but was forming a plan.

xXx

At 6:00 that evening Trunks was fully suited up in his armor and the Son family stopped by to see him off.

"Make sure you give my best to everyone, especially my mother and my younger counterpart okay?" said Gohan.

"No problem man. I'm sure they'll all be thrilled to know everyone was able to make it back."

Gohan and Trunks hugged one another quickly as Videl took Pan's small hand and waved it at the younger Saiyan. "Say 'bye-bye Trunks'."

The little girl waved her hands up and down and Trunks smirked at Gohan. "She's adorable man."

"I know."

Bulma approached her son and even though she knew everything was going to be all right she still worried about Trunks when he went off on adventures. She was his mother after all. Straightening out the creases in his uniform Bulma said "You be careful Trunks Brief. Don't you get into any trouble."

Trunks smiled reassuringly at his mother. "Don't worry mom, I won't."

Next Erasa stepped up and she too smoothed out those pesky little creases. "You'd better not meet any strange girls in the past you hear me?"

"Erasa, seriously?"

"_Okay_?" she said, emphasizing the word.

"Okay, I promise."

"Good." Reaching up she locked lips with the lavender haired hero much to Trunk's delight and intense embarrassment.

When he resurfaced he noticed Bulma and Videl throwing him slightly superior motherly looks while Gohan just folded his arms and smirked in that annoying way of his.

"Well…" he said clearing his throat. "Well…I'm outta here."

"Just a minute son." Trunks stopped. It was Vegeta.

Vegeta was leaning against the doorway with his arms folded dressed in his own battle armor; he was a Super Saiyan. "I want to talk to you before you go. It's important; it cannot wait until you return."

Trunks had seen so little of his father outside of their intense one on one training on the first of every week that he was in all honesty, surprised to see that his father had come to see him off. "Sure dad, what's up?"

Vegeta scowled. "I wish to speak with you alone. Away from prying eyes and ears." Was she imagining it or did Vegeta look directly at Bulma when he had said that?

Slightly taken aback, Trunks said "Sure, what about?"

Again, Vegeta scowled. "I said _away_ from prying ears. What I wish to speak to you about is no one else's concern. Now follow me."

"Can I ask where we're going?"

Vegeta paused briefly. Would it be wise to reveal their location to the group? He thought about it and decided that his only real threat was Gohan; but he would be so wrapped in the little girl it was unlikely he would be paying much attention to them. Besides, what was so bizarre about a little father-son conversation? So Vegeta said "We're flying to the island where you showed us your powers."

Trunks smiled at his father uncertainly. "Okay. I'll just capsulize the time machine and take off when we're finished."

"Whatever" said Vegeta.

Minutes later Trunks and Vegeta landed on the small island where he had first demonstrated his Ascended Saiyan powers.

They stared at each other for a moment until Trunks broke the silence. "So can I ask why you're still a Super Saiyan? I thought you were finished training for the day?"

"I am. But I remember you said something about Kakkarot remaining in his Super Saiyan form to familiarize himself with it and increase his endurance. I thought it sounded like a good idea so I'm doing the same. I will ascend to the next level."

Trunks had no doubt that he would; he was training like a madman. "So what did you want to talk to me about father?"

Vegeta surveyed his son carefully before proceeding. "I wanted to tell you something." There was a long pause before he continued.

"I confess I didn't pay very much attention to you when you were born. I was so wrapped up in my own self that I hardly spared a moment of my attention on you. But I just wanted you to know that when I died, I died trying to defend you. You and your mother. I don't know if you knew that."

No he didn't. Trunks had never learned the details of how his father died. Only that he had been killed by the androids. "I didn't know."

Vegeta chuckled softly. "No, I suppose not. I hardly can imagine anyone would want to fill you in on the gruesome details. Still, you should know that I gave my life trying to defend you. It…wasn't easy. I had spent my whole life in pursuit of my own desires; I was selfish son, I always have been. But when you and your mother were faced with death I knew that I had to do something; I wouldn't have been able to live with myself if I hadn't. Still it wasn't enough. Even as a Super Saiyan I wasn't strong enough to defeat the androids. But you did. You my son, have succeeded where I have failed. And it's for this reason that I wanted to tell you…I'm proud of you."

Trunks stared at his father astonished. Now it made sense why he wanted to be all the way out here, out of eye and earshot of the others. Vegeta would never have allowed the others to hear him speak like this.

"You are everything that I am not, my son. Stronger, selfless, caring, emotional. I am neither of those things. I sometimes wonder if perhaps I could have been, given…different circumstances. But of course you would know nothing about that." Something in Vegeta's tone chilled Trunks, as if he was daring Trunks to reveal that he in fact _did_ know something about what Vegeta was alluding to.

Deciding that he may never receive another chance like this, Trunks took the bait. "I know that you had a very hard life father. I know that you were practically a slave under that monster Frieza. I know that you had to carry weights as a child no one should ever have to carry; not alone, not ever. I know things are hard for you, dad, but…please know that I understand. And I'll always be here. I'm your son and I will always love you."

Vegeta observed his son impassively. Then…

"Likewise."

Trunks damn near gasped his lungs out of mouth.

"So" said Vegeta, "why don't you show me how you operate this contraption" he said, alluding to the time machine.

It took Trunks a moment before he could register what his father was saying. "Oh!" he said, "The time machine!"

So Trunks decapsulized the time travel device and went off showing his father how to turn it off and on, how to set in the coordinates for a given date and time and so on. Vegeta took it all in quietly.

"And this button right here is for emergencies. If you run into a problem you can press it and it will instantly transport you to the first date entered into its memory bank; the date of its creation."

Vegeta was somewhat impressed with Bulma's mechanical and mathematical skills. "Well I must say, the woman is very impressive. That's a handy little machine she's designed."

Trunks was so pleased to hear and see his father in this type of environment that he didn't notice the very subtle, almost nonexistent increase in energy. "Yeah, mom's pretty amazing."

Vegeta smirked lightly as he looked at his son. "Tell me" he said, "what does that button do up there?"

The fool. Trunks turned his whole body to see which button Vegeta had indicated when he was hit from behind by a clubbing double fist in the back of the head. Trunks was caught completely unawares. In his untransformed state such a powerful blow by a Super Saiyan was enough to knock him out cold; and it did.

Vegeta stared down at his unconscious son with an unreadable look on his face. "Tell Gohan he should be careful what he reveals about other people's lives."

Descending back into his base form Vegeta climbed stealthily into the time machine and saw that his course was already plotted. "Excellent" he said to himself.

Closing the opening hatch, Vegeta pressed the button marked INITIATE and with a whirring of the engines disappeared in a flash leaving Trunks lying motionless on the ground.

* * *

**A/N: Hello again. I have three upcoming stories listed on my profile page. ****_The Dragon Ball Games_**** will be a reworked ****_Hunger Games_**** with DBZ characters, ****_How the Story Ends_**** is a post GT fic that ends the entire Dragonball saga, and ****_The World Martial Arts Tournament_**** is a Gohan/Videl get together fic based on the 25****th**** WMAT without Buu or Babidi. I'm taking your recommendation on which one you'd like to see first. So if you're interested, PM me and tell me your choice. Whichever story has the most votes is the one I'll post first. More info on the stories is on my profile page. Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!**


	12. The Future In The Past

**A/N: Explanations given in this chapter may differ somewhat from later revelations in DBZ canon. They are designed to reflect a certain character's views at a specific point in time. Oh, and over 50,000 words! This is the longest story I've ever written and I want to thank everyone who has been supporting it by reading, reviewing, favoriting, following, etc. It is much appreciated.**

* * *

**Chapter 12: The Future In The Past**

"Where do you think Vegeta and Trunks are? It's starting to get late." Bulma peered out the window anxiously, hoping that she might see the two men landing neatly on the lawn of Capsule Corp. Two hours had passed since the father and son had departed for a private conversation on an island several miles out to sea. Gohan frowned.

"Didn't Trunks say he was going to take off directly after his talk with Vegeta? I'm sure that's probably what happened."

"Then why hasn't Vegeta come back yet?"

Gohan paused thoughtfully. There was something not quite right about the situation, that much was certain; he just couldn't place his finger on what it was. Gohan knew Vegeta pretty well; well enough that he could recognize when something was out of character for him. And Vegeta having a long heart-to heart with his son was not something he could picture the older Saiyan doing. Still, there was nothing fishy about Trunks not returning to Capsule Corp. He had definitely said he was going to leave directly after the talk with his father. That just leaves Vegeta. Whatever he was up to it surely couldn't be that he was still talking with Trunks.

Videl reached her arm out and brushed Bulma softly as she tried not to stir a sleeping Pan on her lap. "Don't worry Bulma; I'm sure the two of them can take care of themselves. After all it's because of Trunks that we're all alive again. I don't think there's anything out there that could possibly hurt them anymore."

Bulma tried to accept the comfort Videl's words offered but the truth was she wasn't worried so much about any sort of external danger. She was worried about the hurt caused from the inside. Ever since he came back to life Vegeta barely spent any time with Trunks; except Mondays. Every Monday Vegeta and Trunks beat the crap out of each other in their training regimen. But any other day and it was seldom you would even know that Vegeta was back. He spent all his time locked in that damn gravity room so no one ever saw him. Now after a whole month Vegeta all of a sudden wants to have some secret conversation with his son? Bulma didn't buy it. She knew Vegeta and she knew he was up to something. She had thought that things might be different this time; but ever since Vegeta saw firsthand just how outclassed he had become, he had retreated into his old shell.

"Tell you what" said Gohan suddenly. "If Vegeta doesn't come back in a half an hour I'll go out looking for them. I know the island that they went to so I'll know where to look."

Bulma looked relieved. "Oh Gohan, thank you."

"No problem."

xXx

A half hour later found Gohan scanning the darkened sea for the island in question. After a 15 minute journey he made a soft landing at the same spot where Trunks had demonstrated his power for them the day he returned from space. Scanning the dark land surface carefully he eventually spotted a motionless form lying about thirty yards away; it had striking lavender hair that stood out in the night.

"Trunks!"

Gohan ran swiftly towards his fallen comrade and knelt down beside him. He had been knocked out cold. "Trunks" he said several times while rubbing his hands across his cheeks. "Trunks, wake up." But the young man would not budge. Finally Gohan transferred a small amount of his own energy to his former student providing the spark that reignited his consciousness and opened his eyes.

"G-Go-han" he said blearily. "Ahh…my head. What…what's going on?"

Gohan looked seriously down at his young friend. "I don't know. I was hoping you'd be able to tell me."

Trunks rubbed the back of his head and raised his upper body gingerly. Then it hit him.

"My father!" he exclaimed. "Damnit!"

"Trunks what's wrong? Where's Vegeta?"

"It was him! He's the one who hit me from behind. I was showing him the time machine and…oh no." He looked around wildly but was crestfallen when he saw that the time machine had disappeared.

"He took the time machine Gohan! He's gone."

"Gone? What do you mean?"

Trunks hit the earth with his fist. "I mean he's gone. He took the time machine and left; for another timeline."

Gohan was floored. "What? But why would he do that? I thought he wanted to talk to you."

Trunks shook his head angrily but stopped quickly because he realized this hurt. "He didn't want to talk to me. He just wanted to distract me so he could knock me out and steal the time machine. I should have known something was up! Why would my father say those things to me? I know him, I met him in the past and there's no way Vegeta would ever speak to me in that way."

Gohan listened attentively. "What way? What did he say Trunks?"

Trunks struggled to hold back tears. There was only so much he could take. "He told me he was proud of me. That he died for me…and my mom. He said he cared about us. Liar!"

Gohan didn't know what to say. He had never told Trunks the details about his father's death. But from what it sounded like apparently Vegeta just did. And it's a shame because Vegeta wasn't lying; he really did die for Trunks and Bulma. But of course Trunks would never believe that now.

xXx

Vegeta was flying through space and time, unsure of anything but the sensation of jelly that had overtaken his bones. He struggled to see but all there was all around him was brightness; he wasn't even sure he had eyes anymore. There were sounds, unearthly sounds, but were they even sounds? Where had his ears gone? Did he even exist? Of course he did; he had to, otherwise he would have been unable to form thoughts. But just what Vegeta was at this point he himself did not know.

Finally there was darkness and the sensation of being glued back together. Then quite suddenly he was looking across a barren landscape that he distantly remembered as being the approximate site of his battle with Kakkarot many years ago. He felt quite a disconnection with the place; as though what had taken place there was a foreign experience. He felt certain it was his current miserable predicament that caused him to feel so, but that would be fixed very shortly. As he climbed out of the time machine, Vegeta vaguely registered that he could do any number of things with time travel now at his disposal. He could travel back to that original battle with Kakkarot and beat him within an inch of his life; kill him even if that's what suited him. But no, that was not necessary. He had already beaten Kakkarot twice: he survived when Kakkarot was felled by a pathetic heart virus and he returned to life even though Kakkarot had not.

What else could he do? The prince thought about it for a moment and smirked slightly at the thought of going back in time to destroy Frieza as he had always desired to do. But that would accomplish nothing. In fact, engaging some alternate version of Frieza might even prevent Vegeta from moving on as he intended to. He had moved far beyond the memory of that wretched lizard anyway. So while entertaining the fantasy of these things he had the ability to do, Vegeta consciously moved on and capsulized the time machine before slipping it into the compartment of his armor. There could be no more distracting thoughts for now; he had a mission to accomplish.

Vegeta took off at a fast but leisurely pace as he busied his mind with thoughts relevant to his purpose. He wanted to make absolutely sure he was prepared for the chaos that could ensue when he arrived at his destination. He would arrive in West City in an hour.

xXx

Bulma knelt inquisitively over the table that held an assortment of mechanical parts just waiting to be assembled. If you didn't include the time machine her future counterpart had designed this would undoubtedly be her most ambitious invention to date: A watch that could instantly restyle your wardrobe with just the click of a button. She had actually gotten the idea from the time machine her future son had traveled in. The concept was similar if vastly less complicated: Instead of transporting a human being plus an enormous machine throughout time and space, this design would simply transport clothes and accessories across space to replace the clothes being worn by the watch's operator. There was much fine tuning to be done but Bulma felt sure the watch would be an instant success once released to the public; maybe she could offer one to Gohan as well?

Things sure had changed in the year since the defeat of Cell. Everyone had gone off their own separate ways. Krillin had started dating Android 18 and had even started growing in his hair! Tien and Chaozou packed up and moved who knows where. Yamcha completely gave up his training in favor of a career as a professional baseball player. Piccolo took up residence at the Lookout and Gohan…well, poor Gohan was still a little down because of the loss of his dad but everyone agreed that Goku's last decision really was for the best; but that doesn't mean it didn't still hurt. Chi-Chi just recently gave birth to a beautiful little boy named Goten who appears to be the spitting image of his father. It was quite a responsibility to be put on Gohan's shoulders at such a young age.

Then of course there was Bulma and her family and yes she could actually say that she had a family now. Everyone was amazed at how well Vegeta had adjusted to fatherhood and having a permanent residence at Capsule Corp. Of course, no one expected Vegeta to win any awards for father of the year but still, the once dastardly Prince of all Saiyans had turned into quite the family man in his own gruff way. Little Trunks, who just turned two the other day, definitely loved his "papa" as he called him.

Deciding that she needed a break, Bulma headed upstairs for some lunch passing the occupied gravity room as she went. Despite his initial vow that he would never fight again Vegeta had resumed his intensive training routine a few months after moving back in. It just seemed beyond his capability to not train like a madman; but even here Vegeta had changed. No longer did he train to the detriment of his own body and the interests of those around him. Vegeta was always present at breakfast and dinner time and there had not been one single instance of Vegeta nearly killing himself during the entire year since Cell was defeated. Apparently he had adopted a philosophy of: "I'll never quit training but training is not my life anymore." Well that was just A-okay with her! She actually had her Vegeta back! She, Vegeta, and Trunks and formed the family she always thought she'd have with Yamcha but just could never quite stomach the thought of.

As she entered the kitchen she caught sight of her mother chopping happily away at an onion.

"Hey mom."

"Oh hi there Bulma sweetie" said Bunny Brief. "I'm supposed to tell you that Vegeta wants to speak with you. He's waiting for you in the living room right now."

Bulma stared blankly. "What? But I just saw Vegeta in the gravity room a minute ago."

Bunny blinked rapidly showing her confusion. "But that can't be right Bulma. I just saw him out in the front yard. He asked me if you were home and I said absolutely but that you were a little busy in that lab of yours. He told me he didn't mind waiting if I would tell you that he was waiting to see you. He's just over there in that room."

Well that made no sense. She had distinctly heard the hum of the GR as she passed and Vegeta _never_ left it on when he wasn't in there. He said it took away from the room's performance the next time he used it. Deciding to get to the bottom of this Bulma headed for the adjacent living room and was greeted by quite a sight: Vegeta clad in his old Saiyan battle armor looking just as smug as could be.

"Hey bub" she began. "I thought you agreed to turn off the GR when you weren't using it. It's still on!"

Vegeta smirked knowingly at her. "I would guess that the room is still on because it is being used woman."

Bulma blinked confusedly. "What do you mean 'it's being used'? Who else uses that thing besides you…Vegeta! You did _not_ leave Trunks in there all by himself did you?! He's two years old! I don't care if he's half Saiyan or not, a two year olds body is not built to withstand 500 times gravity!"

Vegeta continued to smirk. "I'm sure your son is just fine."

"Excuse me?" said Bulma. "_My_ son? He's your son too you dimwit!"

Vegeta inclined his head. "In a matter of speaking, yes. But I'm afraid the situation is somewhat more complicated then you currently imagine. I wish to speak to Vegeta."

Well that was odd. What did he mean by that?

"Umm…are you okay Vegeta? You seem to be acting a little strange right now."

"I'm perfectly fine _Bulma_" he replied, placing emphasis on her name. "But I did come here for a purpose. I demand to speak to Vegeta at once; I do not like to be kept waiting."

This was becoming too much for Bulma to handle. "I don't have any idea what you're talking about! You _are_ Vegeta; why on earth do you need _me_ for you to have a conversation with yourself? You're not making any sense!"

And indeed, Vegeta could see that it was time to end his little game; it was getting him nowhere. "Perhaps this will clear matters up for you" he said. He pulled out a capsule from within his armor and tossed it to Bulma. As she caught it she looked at the label which was very clearly marked: Capsule Corp. #1: Hope!

"Hope" she whispered quietly to herself. Then her lips formed a small "oh" as comprehension began to dawn on her.

"You" she said softly. "You came from the future. From Trunk's timeline. You're the Vegeta who was killed by the androids."

Vegeta smiled sarcastically. "Very good. Now do you understand? I am not the same person you assumed I was. I am very different from your version of Vegeta. And I really would like to speak to him. So please lead the way."

But Bulma remained rooted to the spot. "Why would you come here? Is everything all right? Is Trunks okay?"

"Everything is just damned fine woman! The androids are gone, Cell is gone, and the boy wished everyone back to life with the Namekian dragon balls; everything is just damn peachy! Now take me to my counterpart at once!"

Well he hadn't changed. "Fine" Bulma huffed. "You don't have to be such a jerk about it you know."

He merely grunted in response. Bulma huffed again. Bulma led the way to the gravity room where the distinct hum could still be heard, indicating that it was definitely still occupied.

"You'd better have a good reason for interrupting his training. He's not going to be happy."

"I'm sure he'll understand" said Vegeta cynically.

Bulma pressed the override button which was located on the outer wall and very suddenly the humming sound stopped and silence set in around them. Until…

"What is the meaning of this? I've been very clear that no one should interrupt me while I'm training!"

Bulma rolled her eyes. "Well you know what? Goku's dead, the androids are reformed, and Cell's been blown into a million pieces; there's no one left for you to beat so I think you can spare a few moments for some important guests!"

The door burst open. "Guests?" shouted the irate man who was clad only in black spandex training shorts. "You're not having one of those ridiculous dinner parties again? You just had one last month!"

"I can have a party whenever I want and I don't need your permission. But no, I'm not having a party today. Actually, there's someone here to see you."

Vegeta raised an eyebrow. "Who?"

"Me" came the plain response.

Past Vegeta (or is he present Vegeta?) stared dumbly at his future self for a few moments.  
"What sort of trickery is this?" he asked.

"It's not a trick. This is your counterpart form the future. He came here in Trunk's time machine."

Well that was original. "Can't these future people just stay in their own timeline? Don't tell me: We're about to be attacked by some new, terrifying monster?"

Mirai Vegeta stepped forward and said "I traveled here of my own volition to speak to you personally. I would appreciate a moment of your time."

It certainly was an odd experience being addressed by the future version of yourself. But Vegeta had grown used to odd things; the earth was a pretty odd place.

"I take it Trunks wished everyone back to life then? He mentioned something about that before he left."

Mirai nodded. "How about it then?"

Bulma observed the situation carefully, wondering what in the world was going to happen. Somehow it just didn't seem healthy to have two Vegeta's together in one place feeding off one another.

Vegeta pulled a towel off the bar near the gravity room's entrance and flung it around his neck. "Fine. My morbid curiosity is getting the better of me. Follow me."

Bulma quickly interjected herself. "And just where are you two going?"

"Somewhere away from prying eyes and ears" said Canonical Vegeta. "And I trust you won't be following us."

Mirai Vegeta smirked slightly as the two Vegeta's made their way out of the hallway and towards the indoor garden with Canonical Vegeta leading the way; had he not just said the same thing a few hours ago?

Bulma watched in silence as the two versions of her husband disappeared without a word. What a life she had come to have.

xXx

Canonical Vegeta settled himself against a tree, leaning nonchalantly as if he had not a care in the world; the truth was that he was _very_ interested in what the future version of himself had to say. The two Vegeta's stared one another down for a moment, sizing one another up; canonical and Mirai. Finally, it was Mirai Vegeta who started to speak.

"You're probably wondering why I came here."

"There must be a reason" said Canonical Vegeta.

Mirai scowled slightly before he continued. How should he word this without sounding like a whiny fool?

"I envy you" he said finally.

Canonical Vegeta raised an eyebrow casually but the rest of his features remained stoic.

Mirai clenched his gloved fists and, throwing his pre-planned words to the wind, he proceeded to launch into a tirade.

"I envy you…and I don't know why. You have gained unbelievable power, more than I can even comprehend. And yet…look at you! You've actually settled down amongst these humans! You have reduced yourself to becoming a common resident of this planet just like all these other pathetic beings! You're no different than Kakkarot! Worse! You're actually worse than him! I never would have believed that my own self, my very own essence would betray his Saiyan pride and become…one of them!"

Canonical Vegeta merely observed his counterpart impassively, a faint trace of amusement beginning to pull at his lips.

"You don't deserve the power you have" Mirai continued. "Unlike you, I remained a warrior down to the bitter end. I lost my life in battle, which is more than can be said for you! I can't even believe it; just looking at you makes me sick to my stomach! You with your _towel_ and your _house_ and your _garden_. I can't believe it! Imagine my embarrassment when I found myself restored to life and I've literally become the third wheel. My son is stronger than me and what's worse is Kakkarot's brat is more advanced as well. I am hardly stronger than the Namek and in the past month I've made zero progress towards ascension. But you…you're just sitting on all this power, all this glory and you're not even doing anything with it! You just sit back and enjoy mediocrity. How can you even stand yourself?"

Again, Canonical Vegeta simply observed the situation and allowed Mirai to rage. He would be getting to the heart of the matter shortly no doubt.

"And what makes it all so much worse, what makes it so utterly ridiculous is that for all your shameful inaction and all your pathetic attempts to blend in I actually envy you. I envy what you have achieved. How is it possible? Why should I envy you? I shouldn't! I should hate you for being a disgrace to the Saiyan race and a dishonor to the name of Vegeta! But I find myself envious. You should be the ruler of this planet by now. There's no one left to challenge you. The boy, Kakkarot's brat, is no _real_ threat. It's common knowledge that he doesn't want to fight. Even in my world we know how reluctant he was to fight Cell even though he was the only one who had a hope to win. You could very easily take what you want from this planet. Just like you used to do to all the other planets.

"You were the destroyer of worlds, the conqueror of civilizations. It was your birthright to rule the entire Saiyan race on Vegeta-sei. The entire reason you came to this planet in the first place was to conquer it and gain immortality; why haven't you done that? It is well within your reach; no one could hope to stop you. And then you would be free to finally realize your destiny…_our destiny_ as the most powerful being in the universe! And still you sit here quietly playing Bulma's pet Saiyan! It's an outrage! What is wrong with you?"

Canonical Vegeta straightened his posture and took a step forward at that final jibe. "Leave the woman out of this Mirai; it would be a shame for me to have to hurt you."

Ordinarily Mirai would have simply continued his verbal assault but the very real threat of being overpowered by his past self prevented him from doing so. He remained silent, unsure of how to continue his rampage.

Canonical Vegeta's patience was beginning to run thin. "You have welcomed yourself into my house and interrupted my training and so far all you've done is whine about why things haven't gone your way. I believe you probably have an actual purpose in being here other than complaining like some pathetic child; but I do not have unlimited patience so I would recommend you spit it out quickly."

Again, in an ordinary situation Mirai would have been quick to take offense but somehow, hearing those words from an alternate version of himself somewhat softened the blow. There was a long silence where both Vegeta's contemplated one another. But finally, Mirai spoke up.

"How did you do it? How did you achieve your power? And why, now that you have this power, have you not used it to your advantage? You should be living as a king. It is your destiny!"

At this Canonical Vegeta just laughed. The sounds of his laughter, so familiar to Mirai, was maddening. These were legitimate questions! How dare the Prince of all Saiyans make a mockery of the Prince of all Saiyans!

"So that's it huh? _That's_ what you're here for? You want me to tell you the secret of ascension? Well my dear Saiyan, you should have simply said so. No need for you to spend all this time insulting my honor in my own house."

Vegeta continued to laugh but Mirai sensed that he wasn't about to be given an easy answer to his questions.

Finally Vegeta settled down enough to take some breaths and he gestured for Mirai to take a seat on the grass.

"I don't need to sit at your feet like some child; just tell me the secret!" said Mirai.

Canonical Vegeta smirked tauntingly at Mirai. "You know, it's no wonder you're so weak. You haven't got a clue have you? You have no idea what this is all about. You thought you'd come here with all your righteous anger and indignation thinking that I surely am the one to blame. You think that I've betrayed myself and thus, am undeserving of the power I possess. But you're wrong; you haven't even come close to understanding. Let me explain something to you, clueless."

Mirai's nose wrinkled in anger.

"You think that power is all about the energy you possess. I know; I used to think that way as well. You think that in order for you to fulfill your destiny you must travel that road alone, as a solitary being; I understand that as well. But you're wrong on both counts."

Mirai was looking at Vegeta now, his anger being slowly replaced by focus and an emotion he couldn't quite place.

Vegeta continued. "You've spent your whole life pushing yourself to your limits and beyond because that's how you thought power was achieved. But let me ask you, did pushing yourself beyond your limits in a mad dash for power make you strong enough to defeat Frieza on Namek? How about when he came to the Earth? And when you finally became a Super Saiyan, did your continued efforts to isolate yourself enable you to defeat the androids? What's the answer Mirai? Tell me."

What's the answer? No, obviously. But what was the point of all this?

"I don't see what this has to do with anything" Mirai began.

"Of course not. What's the answer?"

Mirai scowled. "No."

Vegeta smirked. "No. Now, if you can admit to yourself that our previous attempts to gain power through mad training and isolationist behaviors did not produce the desired results why can't you see what's holding you back?"

Mirai didn't get it. What was holding him back? Was the answer that obvious to his alternate self?

Canonical Vegeta shook his head. "Think about it. I'm sure you already have many times. It probably still frustrates you to no end even today. How that clown Kakkarot always seemed to take the easy road and still ended up stronger than you. How even the most intensive training program you could come up with never produced the same results as what seemed to just come easily to that buffoon. These thoughts still haunt you don't they? Even though the clown is gone and is never coming back in your time or mine. I struggled with those questions myself until about a year ago. But now I see things more clearly." Vegeta smirked. "And yes, I do enjoy the new clarity I've been given."

Mirai stared at his counterpart blankly. Yes his thoughts were still haunted by Kakkarot and how he still seemed to be taunting him even from beyond the grave. Trunks had only gained so much power because of training that had been recommended by Kakkarot and Gohan's current superiority to the prince was a living reminder of Vegeta's subordination to the Son family. But what was this clarity he spoke of?

"What's your point?" Mirai asked.

Canonical Vegeta smirked wider. "You have always lost to Kakkarot because you've fought against everything he represented. You've always failed where he succeeded because you've denied yourself the things he cherished. Family, friends. These sorts of things consumed Kakkarot and made him stronger. His need and desire to protect the ones he cared for always won out over our selfish need to better ourselves and desire for more power. I began to understand that after Trunks was killed by Cell. I had formed a bond with him without even realizing it. And when he died…I felt a power coursing through my body which I had not felt before…a power I have not felt since. It was a feeling of invincibility.

"You on the other hand have done nothing but reject the offers of friendship these people extended to you. I can't say I blame you. But eventually you're going to have to move past their stupidity and accept that without them what you have would not be possible. It won't be an easy transition for you to make, but that's the sacrifice you have to make. The same as I made. Do you think it's my initial preference to be surrounded by these humans whose customs I barely understand and whose power is so far beneath my own? But I understand that without them I would not be able to live the life I currently enjoy, and yes, I do enjoy it."

Canonical Vegeta wore a look of supreme superiority and pride, something that seemed inconceivable to Mirai given the circumstances.

"You think I've betrayed myself and my Saiyan pride by staying here and living comfortably with the humans but you're wrong. You just don't know any better. Let me explain this to you: I'm the most powerful being on this planet outside of Gohan an even with that exception I still sit on top. He can't summon his power as easily as I can; if I really wanted to I could eliminate him very quickly. But it pleases me to keep him around.

"He's still very young. He comes to me sometimes with his problems and questions because I'm the only person left who can truly understand his Saiyan nature and power. He honors my wisdom through the respect he shows me in that he comes to _me_ with his questions. Not his mother, not the Namek, _me_. And his young brother who seems to have developed a bond with my son will come to respect me as well. Why? Because he will respect Gohan. And we all understand how younger siblings seek to emulate their older ones."

Mirai shifted uncomfortably at the mention of younger siblings.

Vegeta continued. "I have joined to me a woman whose beauty even you understand is worthy of Saiyan royalty and whose spirit is unmatched. Together we inhabit this house which is a palace by earth standards. Her brilliant mind has produced more wealth and prosperity than I ever would have dreamed imaginable on this backwater planet. And now, it's all at my disposal as well. Why? Because I consented to settle in here. My son thinks that I am the greatest person in the world; everything I do he tries to emulate. My greatest rival has been vanquished and every last member of my race is in some form of subjection to me. Don't you see?"

Mirai was struggling but there was a small part of him that was beginning to see the wisdom of Vegeta's words.

"I live a life we never would have dreamed of in Frieza's service. Power, wealth, beauty, and the respect of my subjects. Do you understand it yet? In what way is what I have now, what you're so angry at me for enjoying, any different from what we would have had on Vegeta-sei if Frieza had never existed? No difference. Except that now, I can actually enjoy it all because there is peace. Mirai, I _am_ the Prince of all Saiyans. I haven't betrayed anything. I finally have what _we_ have been seeking all our lives. And if you can't see that then you're lost. If you can't admit it to yourself then perhaps you don't deserve what you're looking for."

That snapped Mirai out of his silent contemplation. The two Vegeta's locked eyes as Canonical Vegeta began to walk away. As he passed, he stopped briefly and glanced sideways at Mirai.

"If you refuse to accept the truth of the matter then I'm afraid there's nothing I can do for you. You will never ascend."

And with that, Vegeta walked off leaving Mirai standing stunned and alone in the garden as he struggled with the weight of all he had just been told.

xXx

Vegeta didn't know how long he had been standing alone in the garden but from the appearance of the sunset apparently a few hours had passed. Vegeta had intended to leave Capsule Corp, without a word but most unfortunately he had run into a very troubling situation on his way out of the garden. It happened rather quickly as the small blue blur nearly ran right into him. Instead, it stopped just short and then looked up at the much taller man with bright blue eyes and chubby cheeks that for some ungodly reason reminded him of himself many years ago.

"How'd you get here papa?" asked little Trunks.

Great, now he had to actually say something.

"I-uh"

"I just saw you with mama. How'd you get here so fast? Why your clothes dif'rent?"

Vegeta struggled to come up with something quick. "I…Come here son." Trunks moved closer to Vegeta and was somewhat surprised when Vegeta picked him up and held him upon his arm.

"You're quite the troublemaker aren't you?" Vegeta asked.

Trunks giggled. "That's what mama says. I don't mean to cause trouble."

The Saiyan prince looked intently at the small boy who was so different from the young man he'd come to know in his own time. But as he continued to gaze at the boy, he suddenly realized this Trunks was just a little older than his own Trunks was when the androids had killed him. That thought along with the accompanying reality that so much time had passed without him ever developing a relationship with his son hit him like a ton of bricks. Why had he not thought of this before?

It was more or less unspoken but common knowledge that Bulma had not been the first female to gain Vegeta's attention. As a space pirate Vegeta had had his share of encounters with the opposite gender. But why had he always killed them afterwards? Wasn't it because of his fear that they might actually bear his seed and become a target for Frieza's merciless whims? Really, he had felt that he was doing those women and any potential offspring a favor by saving them from Frieza. He never wanted any offspring of his to be torn from its family the way he had. He had vowed early on that he would never let that happen. But wasn't he doing the same thing to Trunks right now?

He had missed out on his son's early years but that was unavoidable. No one had foreseen the androids. But he was alive again and Trunks was still a young man. He possessed much power but lacked the control, he had noticed, that would make him a truly unstoppable warrior. Vegeta could offer him that. He could offer his son a unique perspective in understanding his Saiyan nature, the same as his counterpart was doing with Gohan in this timeline. He could choose to be there for his son in a way that his own father had never been. He could choose to do that…but would he?

Vegeta walked the small boy back to where he came from. Depositing him with his mother with the words "Keep an eye on that one." He turned to leave but before he left the room he spoke one last time. "Tell the prince I hope he enjoys his empire. He'll know what I mean."

Bulma looked back at him with Trunks in her arms. "Where will you go?"

Vegeta looked back and replied simply "Home."

Bulma knew she would get no further explanation than that so she instead took Trunk's arm and said "Say bye-bye to Mirai daddy Trunks."

Trunks waved happily at Vegeta. "Bye-bye Mir-mir…" Trunks struggled with that foreign word. "Bye garden daddy."

Bulma cast Vegeta a quizzical look but Vegeta just smirked and walked out.

Now that that was over, Vegeta was outside of Capsule Corp. and about to fly off when he noticed a large crowd gathered down the street. They were cheering and waving their hands in the direction of someone or something Vegeta could not see. Deciding to see what it was out of sheer interest in another timeline Vegeta approached the crowed which, as he drew closer, he noticed was gathered around a large platform. Suddenly, he bumped into something that angrily showed itself to be a someone. A little girl with dark brown, almost black, hair which was pulled into two loose pigtails. She looked vaguely familiar to Vegeta.

"Hey watch where you're going buddy!" she said indignantly.

"Be quiet girl. What are all these people here for?"

The girl shot Vegeta a nasty glare that he almost found comical. "Don't call me girl. And what do you think they're here for? My father is making an appearance. He's the World's Champion."

"World's Champion? Oh you've got to be kidding me."

Suddenly there was a high pitched voice that was shouting a name that definitely sounded familiar to Vegeta.

"Videl! Videl! There you are! We've been looking all over for you. The ceremony's about to start come on!"

_"Now this is ridiculous"_ Vegeta thought. If this was Videl then that little blonde thing must be…

"I know Erasa. I was just heading up there when this guy got in my way."

"Why don't you show him who's boss good lookin?'" said some young boy with skater style blonde hair.

"Stop calling me that, Sharpener!"

"Enough of this!" Vegeta exclaimed. The trio fell silent.

"Now that I understand what this gathering is all about I have no desire to be here whatsoever. You should learn some respect young girl" he said, looking at Videl. Then he paused slightly, deciding to have a quick bit of fun at her expense. "Especially after all Gohan's done for you."

The three kids looked at one another blankly. "Gohan?" Videl asked. "Who's Gohan?"

But Vegeta had already taken off into the crowd. By the time she started off after him he was long gone.

Vegeta took to the air triumphantly, glad he was able to gain the upper hand on at least _one person_ while he was here. So he had mentioned Gohan. Who cares? Obviously the girl didn't know him in this timeline. What were the odds they'd ever cross paths in their future?

* * *

**A/N: So the votes are in and it's unanimous: The WMAT is what people want to see. So the WMAT is what you will get.**

**DarkVoid116: Thank you for taking the time to review every single chapter so far. Very cool of you.**


End file.
